Learning from the Octopus
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The octopus may be nature's most clever adapter. When faced with a threat, the sea-dwelling mollusks have been known to strangle sharks with their tentacles, venture into the open air for food, and use coconut shells tossed in the ocean as armor. Marine ecologist Rafe Sagarin thinks we humans could learn a lot from the way animals like the octopus react to threats. We talk to him about what nature can teach us about adaptability, interdependence, and organization that can help us meet threats in a more effective way.
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Scientists believe the octopus is the only invertebrate that can learn through observation. Here, a carer for Caroline, a Giant Pacific Octopus at the Smithsonian National Zoo, demonstrates how Caroline enjoys challenge and stimulation when fed:
BBC Animals shows the delicate process of a Vancouver marmot emerging from hibernation:
Male Fiddler crabs, with one disproportionately large claw, can grow the claw back on the opposite site of their bodies if it is lost:
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Firstly, let me thank your author, Mr. Sagarin, for having the courage to spend so much time and energy researching and publishing on a subject that so much of the so-called intelligentsia consider trivial. I have spent over a decade in the close proximity of horses, and everything I really needed to know I have learned from them. One example: how to interact with your peers: I have two show horses who live together 24/7. Both males, and one is clearly in charge of the other. But the mutual respect between them is palpable, and when one gets in the way of the other, the other may bite him on the flank, but as soon as the biting action is finished, they go back to best friend status, grazing happily next to each. The behavior is corrected without denigration or demoralization of the Other. I guess 3 million years of evolution has given them wisdom, at every level, including the cellular.
Dr. Candice Quinn
Firstly, let me thank your author, Mr. Sagarin, for having the courage to spend so much time and energy researching and publishing on a subject that so much of the so-called intelligentsia consider trivial. I have spent over a decade in the close proximity of horses, and everything I really needed to know I have learned from them. One example: how to interact with your peers: I have two show horses who live together 24/7. Both males, and one is clearly in charge of the other. But the mutual respect between them is palpable, and when one gets in the way of the other, the other may bite him on the flank, but as soon as the biting action is finished, they go back to best friend status, grazing happily next to each. The behavior is corrected without denigration or demoralization of the Other. I guess 3 million years of evolution has given them wisdom, at every level, including the cellular.
Dr. Candice Quinn