After years of surprising scientists with their cleverness and smarts, some octopuses appear to also use tools.

Veined octopuses observed off the coast of Indonesia carried coconut shell halves under their bodies, and assembled them as necessary into shelters — something that wasn’t supposed to be possible in their corner of the animal kingdom.

“To date, invertebrates have generally been regarded as lacking the cognitive abilities to engage in such sophisticated behaviors,” wrote Museum Victoria biologists who described the octopuses in a paper published Monday in Current Biology. “The discovery of this octopus tiptoeing across the sea floor with its prized coconut shells suggests that even marine invertebrates engage in behaviors that we once thought the preserve of humans.”

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/12/octopus-tools/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+wired/index+(Wired:+Index+3+(Top+Stories+2))

I believe that in the future there will be uplifted transhuman octopi living amongst us.

Have you read any of David Brin's work?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brin#The_Uplift_stories

Yes,I'm a huge fan of his

I had a guy in class nearly barf when I showed him this thing this morning Oh I love Darren

The uplift stories are great! Did you read 'Kiln People' or 'Practice Effect' ?

He might like to be reminded, then, that some people fry up the tentacles! Rather like 'onion rings' you get at fast food places. Except chewier; bit rubbery actually. Rubbery, and textured, by those little suction nubs on the tentacles!

Read most of the various Uplift stories