cephalopods
Recently I’ve been reading about cephalopods, because they are IMHO super awesome.
The following is from a Wikipedia article about cephalopod intelligence.
The cephalopod class of mollusks, particularly the Coleoidea subclass (cuttlefish, squid and octopuses), are considered the most intelligent invertebrates and an important example of advanced cognitive evolution in animals… Unlike most other mollusks, all cephalopods are active predators… Crabs, the staple food source of most octopus species, present significant challenges with their powerful pincers and their potential to exhaust the cephalopod’s respiration system from a prolonged pursuit. In the face of these challenges, octopuses will instead seek out lobster traps and steal the prize inside. They are also known to climb aboard fishing boats and hide in the containers that hold dead or dying crabs.
As of 2009, the octopus is the only invertebrate which has been conclusively shown to use tools. At least four specimens of the Veined Octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus) have been witnessed retrieving discarded coconut shells, manipulating them, and then reassembling them to use as shelter.
Cephalopods also have AMAZING dexterity, as evidenced by their ability to do complex things like open up jars with screw on tops! Obviously humans, and other primates, can do this but…
unlike vertebrates [cephlalopods], the motor skills of octopuses do not seem to depend upon mapping their body within their brains, as the ability to organize complex movements is not thought to be linked to particular arms.
So… Yeah.
You think that cephalopods are awesome now too, huh?
This is pretty groovy. And kind of cute. More comparisons between you and Dommy: His fave animal is the squid. SO much so, that we were at my parents house for dinner one night (dom’s an ardent meat eater) and he refused to eat squid, knowing that refusing to eat food that’s served to you at an Asian household is like beating a dog. Brave man.