With open arms: larger Pacific striped octopuses mate face to face Roy Caldwell/University of California, Berkeley
IN THE late 1960s, Aradio Rodaniche was diving off the coast of Nicaragua when he made the discovery that has tantalised cephalopod biologists ever since.
Not only was the octopus he found startlingly beautiful – another biologist later said it was the most beautiful he had ever seen – but it was living in a den with others of its kind. That was unheard of. Octopuses are undoubtedly remarkable creatures: they can solve puzzles, use tools and even mimic other species. They have three hearts and multiple brains, with an intelligence rivalling that of famously smart animals such as crows and apes, and their visual communication abilities are mysterious and beguiling. But the octopus had always been considered a solitary beast.
The discovery of an apparently social species was so implausible that few believed it and Rodaniche’s story passed into legend. He published a short account of the species in 1991, but hardly anyone had seen the animal and no one could confirm the report. It didn’t help that the octopus has never been officially described (see “Nameless wonder”).
Gradually, the situation is changing. Work is emerging that confirms what Rodaniche originally suspected. The animal, referred to only as the larger Pacific striped octopus (LPSO), does seem to be a social species, and a couple of other types of octopus have now been discovered that also show social behaviour. Beyond the breathless prospect of octopus communities with hive minds even smarter than any of their members, these breakthroughs indicate it …
