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Article: Armed but not dangerous: is the octopus really the invertebrate intellect of the undersea world?(Scientific Debate)
- Article from:
- National Wildlife
- Article date:
- February 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 National Wildlife Federation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Is the octopus really the invertebrate intellect of the undersea world?
Frequently, we humans look down on invertebrates as inferior forms of life. But at least one invertebrate, the octopus, may possess enough brainpower to alter this biological prejudice.
Octopuses are mollusks, like snails, clams and oysters, but they are smarter, nimbler, more curious and more resourceful than any oyster. They have to be: Like their fellow cephalopods, squid and cuttlefish, they lost their external shells millions of years ago, but what they lack in armor, experts say, they make up for in brains. The central nervous system of the octopus is among the largest and most ...