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Beneath the waves lives a mysterious creature, older than the dinosaurs. Octopus! So incredibly alien. Changing color in an instant. Shapeshifting into almost anything. They are the planet's true masters of disguise.
Explore the incredible intelligence and shapeshifting abilities of octopuses, revealing their mastery of disguise and complex behaviors.
Key Takeaways
- Octopuses are among the most intelligent and adaptable creatures in the ocean.
- Their advanced camouflage is controlled directly by their brain and skin muscles.
- They use both hiding and warning coloration strategically for survival.
- Octopuses exhibit complex behaviors including tool use, communication, and problem-solving.
- Researchers can build trust with octopuses, revealing their social and cognitive depth.
Summary
- Octopuses are ancient, alien-like creatures with extraordinary shapeshifting abilities, able to change color, texture, and shape rapidly.
- Dr. Alex Schnell has spent 15 years studying octopuses, gaining insight into their intelligence and behavior.
- Octopuses use tools, communicate, think creatively, and may even dream, showing advanced cognitive skills.
- The day octopus, named Scarlett, demonstrates remarkable trust and interaction with researchers.
- Octopuses’ skin contains millions of pigment sacs controlled by their brains, allowing instant camouflage despite being color-blind.
- Octopuses can sense their environment through light-sensitive skin, aiding their disguise.
- The blue-ringed octopus uses bright warning colors and venom as a defense mechanism, especially when laying eggs.
- Octopuses employ disruptive coloration and other tactics to confuse predators like reef sharks.
- Their suckers are highly sensitive, functioning like combined fingertips, noses, and tongues.
- Octopuses make complex decisions constantly, showcasing their status as highly intelligent marine animals.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
Now we're discovering they are one of the most intelligent beings on the planet. Two years immersed in their world reveals they use tools. I felt completely shocked at the level of sophistication that I was witnessing.
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Think creatively. Communicate with other species. And maybe even dream. I wonder sometimes if the octopuses are dreaming about me, wondering what I am, who I am.
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We're just beginning to understand what they have to tell us. I have just had a conversation with an octopus.
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[♪ theme music plays] The Great Barrier Reef. The biggest coral structure on the planet. Over 1,200 miles long. And home to more than 9,000 different species. [♪ curious music] Including her. The day octopus.
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Octopus are so alien, it's hard to know what you're looking at. She, and the 300 other species, share some similar quirks. A siphon that propels her through water. A soft, boneless body conceals a razor-sharp beak for crushing fish and crabs.
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Two bulbous eyes sit above a big, powerful brain that's capable of something extraordinary. She can transform the color, shape, and texture of her body in a fraction of a second. National Geographic Explorer, Dr. Alex Schnell has spent
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15 years immersed in the world of the octopus. Octopuses are the ultimate shapeshifters. They can choose when to hide and when to reveal themselves. And studying this behavior has offered a window into how they think.
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Every dive brings her closer to these elusive animals. [♪ curious music] She has privileged access to their extraordinary shapeshifting skills. A superpower that makes them hard to spot. Your mind starts to play tricks on you,
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and everywhere you look, you feel like that's an octopus. Is that an octopus over there? I think that's one over there. The minute you kind of give up and you're like, okay, I'm not gonna look anymore,
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something that you think is a piece of algae, or a piece of coral suddenly moves.
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[♪ curious music] Alex is face to face with a Day Octopus. The octopus sizes Alex up. She's not really sure about me at the beginning, but we're eye to eye.
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And her skin becomes smooth, as if to reveal herself. She becomes so relaxed that she starts to clean herself, covering her eyes even though I'm right in front of her. And maybe that's a sign that she's beginning to trust me.
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When she reached out her arm and put her suckers on my hand, it just felt like a life-changing moment. And then she turns to look at me as if to say, are you coming?
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She allows Alex to follow her as she cruises along the coral. Until something spooks her. Reef sharks 10 times her size! No way she can out-swim these dangerous predators. [♪ intense music] But the day octopus reveals that she has something
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much better than speed. Invisibility! [♪ peaceful music] Every time there's danger, the day octopus melts into her surroundings. One of the things that makes octopus so amazing is that their brain is connected directly to muscles
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in their skin. And these muscles are connected to about 20 million sacks of different colored pigments. By stretching and relaxing each of the tiny sacks, the octopus can produce an endless array of patterns and colors.
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And she can do it all in one-fifth of a second. [♪ intense music] The perfect disguise. Her trick is all the more astounding given that she,
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like all octopuses, is color-blind. She doesn't need to see the color, to be the color.
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We now know that octopus skin is sensitive to light, which suggests that they can see with their skin not in the way that they might be able to detect an image, but their skin is sensitive to hues, shadows, and colors
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so that they can detect their environment changing around them. To keep herself safe, the day octopus transforms
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hundreds of times a day. And over weeks she allows Alex to see every shade, hue, and pattern.
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They become close! When I started studying octopuses, it was difficult to tell differences between individuals, but if you study them for long enough, you'll see little imperfections on their skin, and this day octopus had a little scar below her eye,
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and that's why I named her Scarlett. Time with Scarlett shows Alex that color-changing
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is only half of her skill set. Using small muscular structures similar to what we have on our tongue, octopuses can change the
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texture of their skin. So they can go from super smooth to really spiky in less than a second.
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But what blows my mind is they don't actually need to touch any of the texture that they're matching. They can match the texture just by looking at it. It's getting late, which means more predators.
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A crevice in the coral is a safe den for the night. So unfazed now by Alex's presence, Scarlett's happy to drift off to sleep.
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All octopuses may not have Scarlett's ability for shapeshifting, but most can change color. And for some, survival depends not on blending in,
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but standing out. [♪ majestic music] Near the southern tip of Australia, this pier
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is home to the weird and wonderful. As well as one of the deadliest animals on earth. But unlike the day octopus,
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she comes out when the sun goes down. This is a female blue-ringed octopus.
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A mom-to-be. She's small, the size of a golf ball. She can blend into the background if she wants to,
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but it's not really her style. Her bright blue rings send a strong message, a warning.
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A single bite from her hidden beak releases enough neurotoxin to kill an adult human in minutes. Don't mess with her!
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Especially today. She's ready to lay her eggs. But it's getting darker,
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bringing out the reef's big boys. A smooth stingray, hunting on the seabed. She's not scared of him,
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she has enough venom to easily kill a ray. But the growing darkness is more of a problem. In the gloom, the octopus's blue rings lose their vibrancy.
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If the ray attacks? Death to them both. So she does something that only blue-ringed octopus can do. Triggering muscles to reveal thousands of light-reflecting
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cells in her rings, she dials up her color. While also upping the contrast
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by darkening the skin around them. [♪ threatening music] The ray gets the message loud and clear.
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This is one of the brightest warning displays of any animal on earth. Now she can concentrate on laying her eggs. Somewhere out of reach,
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to all but the most flexible. [♪ cheerful music] Those babies have one 'killer' mom. Octopuses combine their smarts
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and shapeshifting skills to expertly decide when to hide,
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and when to stand out. But some use this alien-like superpower in other ways.
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Something Dr. Alex Schnell wants to witness. Now that she has gained her trust,
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Alex hopes Scarlett will allow her, and colleague, Dr. Roger Hanlo
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[Dr. Alex Schnell] An octopus have 200 suckers on each arm, and each sucker is so sensitive it's like having a fingertip, nose, and a tongue all in one.
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Imagine how sensitive the world would be to an octopus. [Narrator]<i> But to hunt she needs to focus.</i> <i> Scarlett must concentrate on her prey.</i> <i> Not become it.</i> [♪ intense music] <i> Reef sharks are always on the lookout for an easy meal.</i>
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<i> This time, Scarlett uses her talents not to blend in,</i> <i> but to confuse.</i> <i> She mixes up her colors and patterns,</i> <i> breaking up her outline.</i> <i> It's called disruptive coloration.</i> <i> She can change her appearance more than 170 times every hour.</i>
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<i> The sharks should swim right by.</i> <i> But this one isn't so easily fooled.</i> [♪ intense music] <i> She's got one last trick,</i> <i> and she's left the best till last.</i> <i> Stretching the skin on her arms taut and wide,</i>
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<i> she flashes white.</i> <i> It's purposefully weird.</i> [Dr Roger Hanlon] That flash is meant to make a predator hesitate to say, is that what I want to eat or not?
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This is a thinking, cogitating animal. It's making decisions every moment of the way. I really find that extraordinary.
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[Narrator]<i> Finally, a tasty crab.</i> <i> Even if she really had to pull out all the stops to get it.</i> [Narrator]<i> Day Octopus are masterful shapeshifters,</i> <i> but they have a cousin who uses its intelligence to take</i> <i>these skills to the next level.</i>
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<i> By creating the ultimate deception.</i> <i> Lush tropical jungle,</i> <i> on the shores of the Lembeh Strait.</i> <i> But beneath the water.</i> <i> A featureless floor of volcanic sand.</i> <i> A problem for this octopus.</i> [♪ curious music] <i> There's nowhere to hide,</i>
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<i> and lots of hungry predators.</i> [♪ intense music] <i> This flounder will rip the arm off an unfortunate octopus.</i> <i> He could change color,</i> <i> but in this exposed spot,</i> <i> it might not be enough.</i> <i> Time for some next-level shape-shifting.</i>
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[♪ curious music] <i> He transforms into such a good likeness of his enemy.</i> <i> He fools even a real flounder.</i> [♪ curious music] <i> Shape, color, movement.</i> <i> An impersonation so good it's earned him his name,</i> <i> the mimic.</i>
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<i> He drops the disguise when he spots prey.</i> [chewing] <i> Food's hard to find here,</i> <i> unless you're a mimic.</i> <i> But his quest for food has brought him into</i> <i> someone else's territory.</i> <i> Damselfish.</i> <i> They hate strangers invading their space.</i>
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<i> And they've got a nasty bite.</i> <i> So the mimic transforms into the one thing</i> <i> they won't mess with.</i> <i> The venomous Sea Krait,</i> <i> their worst nightmare.</i> <i> The damselfish are certainly convinced.</i> <i> An Oscar-worthy performance,</i>
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<i> but he's still hungry.</i> <i> Patches of coral can be a good place to find food.</i> <i> But everyone's had the same idea.</i> <i> Moray eels, groupers,</i> <i> and the reef's most aggressive predator,</i> <i> the venomous lionfish.</i> <i> But the lionfish's fearsome reputation...</i>
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<i> Now this he can use.</i> <i> By adopting the fish's distinctive shape and pattern,</i> <i> the mimic warns off other predators.</i> <i> Including real lionfish.</i> <i> While he may not look exactly like a lionfish to us,</i> <i> it's how he appears to other animals that counts.</i>
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<i> The patch of coral is now his to hunt.</i> [♪ dramatic music] <i> This kind of shape-shifting hints at something unique.</i> <i> The mimic isn't just copying.</i> <i> He appears to know how other creatures see him.</i> <i> More so, he's aware of what each one is scared of,</i>
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<i> and can exploit their fear.</i> <i> This is strategy and manipulation,</i> <i> traits we associate with human-like intelligence.</i> [Narrator]<i> Shapeshifting is an art that octopus have perfecte,</i> <i> transforming themselves to find food,</i> <i> and avoid becoming someone else's.</i>
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[♪ majestic music] <i> But what happens when two masters of disguise meet?</i> <i> Scarlett, the day octopus, is resting on the reef.</i> [splashing] <i> After months of dives, she's now very used to her visitors.</i> <i> And willing to let them into the most intimate moment</i>
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<i> of her life.</i> <i> Scarlett's distracted.</i> <i> Another Day octopus.</i> <i> Could it be a potential mate?</i> <i> Scarlett's now just over a year old, she may have already</i> <i> mated with several males,</i> <i> and stored packets of their sperm inside her.</i>
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<i> She can even choose to mix the packets to fertilize her eggs.</i> <i> But she's keeping her options open.</i> <i> If a better-suited male comes along,</i> <i> she'll get rid of these stored packets</i> <i> and use his alone.</i>
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[♪ peaceful music] <i> They touch, sucker to sucker, to check each other out.</i> <i> Yes, he's male.</i> <i> And he's into her.</i> <i> But Scarlett's not won over so easily.</i> <i> She wants to see what he's made of.</i>
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<i> And he'll be judged on his shape shifting.</i> <i> A slow dance of changing color.</i> <i> Rippling his skin, he shows off new bumps.</i> <i> A display that could attract predators,</i> <i>but he can't afford to blend i.</i> <i> He must risk everything for her.</i>
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[♪ accelerating music] [♪ accelerating music] <i> Now, Scarlett's interested.</i> <i> Captured for the very first time,</i> <i> her arms reach inside her body</i> <i> and she expels the sperm from her previous encounters,</i> <i> it's an invitation.</i> <i> As he unfurls his arm,</i>
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<i> she accepts his advances.</i> [♪ romantic music] <i> This is a specialized mating arm, found only in male octopu.</i> <i> A white sperm packet</i> <i> moves down a groove in the arm and into Scarlett.</i> [♪ romantic music] <i> It's the beginning of a new generation.</i>
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[Dr Roger Hanlon] I've got to tell you, I've seen some of this before with this species, but I'd never seen what I saw today.
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We've learned something scientifically. <i> [Dr Alex Schnell] I typically see octopuses on their own,</i> <i> it's rare to even see them interact,</i> <i>so to see two octopuses mating,</i> <i> it's such an intimate moment</i> and such a rare sight to see in the wild.
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[Narrator]<i> Each one of Scarlett's babies will inherit</i> <i> her smarts and shapeshifting skills.</i> [♪ dramatic music] <i> Octopuses are the only animals in nature able to transform</i> <i> their bodies so completely</i> <i> in the quest to stay safe, feed, and mate.</i>
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<i> The time spent in Scarlett's world has opened Alex's eyes</i> <i> to her potential.</i> <i> Just what more might these extraordinary animals</i> <i> be capable of?</i> -I've been lucky enough to build a relationship with the day octopus and see her mate in the wild,
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and see the way that she uses her skin to communicate and also to hide.
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But there's still so much more to discover. There's so many more secrets to reveal.
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[Narrator]<i> Beneath the waves,</i> <i> lives a mysterious creature,</i> <i> older than the dinosaurs.</i> <i> Octopus!</i> <i> So incredibly alien.</i> <i> Changing color in an instant.</i> <i> Shapeshifting into almost anything.</i> <i> They are the planet's true masters of disguise.</i>
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<i> Now we're discovering,</i> <i> they are one of the most intelligent beings</i> <i> on the planet.</i> <i> Two years immersed in their world,</i> <i> reveals they use tools.</i> -I felt completely shocked at the level of sophistication that I was witnessing.
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[Narrator]<i> Think creatively.</i> <i> Communicate with other species.</i> <i> And maybe even dream.</i> -I wonder sometimes if the octopuses are dreaming about me, wondering what I am, who I am.
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[Narrator]<i> We're just beginning to understand</i> <i> what they have to tell us.</i> -I have just had a conversation with an octopus.
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[♪ theme music plays] [Narrator]<i> The island of Sulawesi.</i> <i> 3000 miles of lush, densely forested coastline.</i> <i> But beneath the water,</i> <i> things look very different.</i> <i> A few scattered reefs are the only refuge</i> <i> in an underwater desert.</i>
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<i> Any animal going out in the open, is vulnerable.</i> <i> To survive here you need brawn</i> <i> or, brains.</i> <i> This is a coconut octopus.</i> <i> At 18 months old,</i> <i> she's already halfway through her short life.</i> <i> Like all octopuses, her mother died after she was born.</i>
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<i> She's been alone her whole life.</i> <i> Every single thing she's learned about the world,</i> <i> she's taught herself,</i> <i> and with astonishing speed.</i> <i> Most importantly,</i> <i> how to hunt.</i> <i> As she crushes her crab with her powerful bird-like beak,</i>
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<i> the succulent scent of her meal attracts attention.</i> <i> She could lose her dinner, or her life!</i> <i> There's nowhere to hide.</i> <i> But even in her short life,</i> <i> she's learned how to make a run for it.</i>
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<i> Clasping the crab in two arms,</i> <i> she uses the others like feet.</i> <i> It's called stilt walking.</i> <i> But she can't run forever,</i> <i> it's time to take cover.</i> <i> And she's not called a coconut octopus for nothing.</i>
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[♪ playful music] <i>She uses her propulsive siphon,</i> <i> like a leaf blower,</i> <i> to blast away sand clogging the shell.</i> <i> Using an object to solve a problem is known by scientists</i> <i> as tool use.</i> <i> A sign of great intelligence.</i>
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<i> Just 0.1% of animals are thought to use tools.</i> <i> Making a hideout earns her a place in this exclusive club.</i> [♪ majestic music] <i> Scientists believe we've barely scratched the surface</i> <i> of octopus smarts.</i> <i> National Geographic explorer and animal psychologist</i>
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<i> Dr. Alex Schnell</i> <i> researches octopus intelligence in the wild.</i> [Dr Alex Schnell] I really want to understand what's going on inside the octopus mind.
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But we're only just discovering how they're using that brainpower. [Narrator]<i> Alex suspects these octopuses are capable of</i> <i> even more advanced tool use.</i> -I cannot wait to see the individual.
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[Narrator]<i> Local expert Benhur Sarinda is here</i> <i> to help her research.</i> -Let's give it a go. -Let's let's try it.
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[Dr Alex Schnell] I wanna learn if their tool use has a type of ability that we call future planning.
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This is the ability to carry tools for future use, and it's a hallmark of intelligence.
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We've only ever seen it in chimpanzees and crows and humans. [♪ mysterious music] [Narrator]<i> A coconut octopus.</i> <i> But that's no coconut.</i> <i> This small female is using a clamshell,</i> <i> because it has a big advantage.</i> <i> Portability.</i>
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<i>Even when you've got eight arm,</i> <i> two shells are a handful.</i> <i> But so worth it.</i> <i> [Narrator] A large shoal of hungry mullet,</i> <i> is a frightening sight for a fist-sized octopus.</i> [♪ anxious music] <i> Her clam shells are the perfect safe house.</i>
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[♪ curious music] <i> Different type of shell, same genius tool use.</i> <i> And to Alex's amazement, she's not done yet.</i> <i> When she finds the right spot,</i> <i> she starts work on a more permanent shelter.</i> <i> This octopus has a remarkable understanding</i>
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<i> of how these shapes fit together.</i> <i> She manipulates the shells to fit just so.</i> <i> It's what Alex has been hoping to see!</i> [Dr Alex Schnell] Right in front of our eyes.
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She solves the problem of being so exposed in this desert-like landscape, bringing along her own shelter to use the next time that she might venture out.
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[Narrator]<i> With no parental training and short life spans,</i> <i> octopuses learn fast.</i> <i> Within months they have to master problem solving</i> <i> and possibly plan for the future.</i> <i> Octopuses don't just make simple plans.</i> <i> They can devise complex and cunning strategies.</i>
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<i> When the tide turns here on this volcanic archipelago,</i> <i> the retreating Atlantic leaves behind tidal pools.</i> <i> And the churning water brings with it,</i> <i> a visitor from the deep.</i> <i> Cut off in one of the pools is a hungry island octopus.</i>
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<i> Six months old, his hunting skills are all self-taught.</i> <i> He's about to take the ultimate risk.</i> <i> Sally Lightfoot crabs.</i> <i> An octopus favorite.</i> <i> The turning tides now exposes one of their favorite things</i> <i> to eat, fresh algae.</i>
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<i> Mmm, so mouthwatering.</i> <i> But to get to it, takes a leap of faith.</i> [♪ dramatic music] <i> The young octopus won't get as much as a snack by staying</i> <i> where he is.</i> <i> He needs a plan.</i>
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<i> Muscles in his eyes change the shape of the lens,</i> <i> so he can focus out of water.</i> <i> And see the best way to the jumping crabs.</i> <i> It's a dangerous journey.</i> <i> [Narrator] Sure, he's smart,</i> <i> but is he willing to bet his life on a strategy?</i>
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[splashing] <i> He's going for it.</i> <i> He'll dry out and die in 20 minutes.</i> <i> One wrong move and he's truly cooked!</i> [♪ Latin music] [♪ Latin music] [♪ Latin music] <i> Finally, he makes it!</i> <i> It's time for the next step of his master plan.</i>
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<i> Positioning rocks to make the perfect cover.</i> [splashing] <i> The trap is set.</i> [splashing] <i> Well-earned brain food.</i> <i> The island octopus has thought up,</i> <i> tested,</i> <i> and executed,</i> <i> a killer hunting technique.</i> [♪ upbeat music] <i> Six months old, entirely self-taught,</i>
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<i> and already an accomplished strategist.</i> <i> So how do octopuses come up with all these smart ideas,</i> <i> despite living such short lives?</i> <i> To understand that,</i> <i> you need to know them as individuals.</i> <i>Extreme diver, Krystal Janicki,</i>
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<i> has logged more than 600 hours</i> <i> in the freezing waters off Canada's southern Pacific coas.</i> [♪ mysterious music] <i> It's a strange and otherworldly place to explore.</i> <i> The cold water is rich in oxygen and nutrients.</i> <i> Turbocharging life, and pushing it to extremes.</i>
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[♪ dramatic music] <i> Lurking in the deep is a colossus.</i> [♪ dramatic music] [♪ dramatic music] <i> [Narrator] The giant Pacific octopus</i> <i> is the biggest octopus on the planet.</i> [♪ dramatic music] <i> It can reach up to 30 feet from arm-tip to arm-tip.</i>
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<i> The length of a school bus.</i> <i> By diving with these giants for so many years,</i> <i> Krystal has begun to recognize and build relationships</i> <i> with individual octopuses.</i> [Krystal Janicki] When you lock eyes with an octopus it's such a special moment.
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[bubbles] I get a real sense that they want to connect with us, that they want to learn from us.
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They have such curious minds. Maybe they're not so different from us after all. [Narrator]<i> Krystal is a citizen scientist,</i> <i>and her face time with octopuss has led to a realization.</i> <i> Every animal has a distinct personality.</i> <i> While they're all smart,</i>
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<i> each uses its brain power in different ways.</i> <i> The best way to see it, is to follow one on a hunt.</i> <i> To reach her full size, this giant Pacific octopus needs to</i> <i> eat at least 6 meals a day.</i>
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[Krystal Janicki] It's amazing to think that she started out as a hatchling the size of a grain of rice.
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These octopus have one of the fastest growth rates of any animal. [♪ rock music] [Narrator]<i> Her favorite food, red rock crab is no easy catch.</i> <i> They're agile and fast.</i> <i> But they're up against, a mastermind.</i> <i> Octopuses are hard-wired for learning.</i>
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[Krystal Janicki] So they have such incredible brains, such incredible knowledge, and the way they learn and grow so fast, blows my mind.
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[Narrator]<i> When it comes to building neurons,</i> <i> critical brain connections for intelligence,</i> <i> octopuses have three times more capacity than humans.</i> <i> They're perfectly primed for new information.</i> <i> Every hunt is a chance to learn.</i> [Krystal Janicki] Over time, I started to notice how quickly
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they can problem solve and adapt on the fly. [Narrator]<i> Using her taste-sensitive suckers,</i> <i> she feels for crabs hidden in the rocks.</i> <i> No luck with that strategy.</i> <i> But a genius can change tack, fast.</i> <i> She flushes the crabs out into open terrain.</i>
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[♪ upbeat music] <i> Then all of a sudden, she's gone.</i> [Krystal Janicki] She disappears within seconds.
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[♪ mysterious music] And then I see her, tucked into the rocks. I'm not sure if she's searching for something or if she's hiding.
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[Narrator]<i> Her plan becomes clear.</i> <i> An ambush.</i> [♪ dramatic music] <i> She releases toxins that liquify the crab's insides,</i> <i> making crab soup.</i> <i>Her tactic is creative, clever,</i> <i>but more importantly, it's her.</i> [♪ emotional music] <i> With no family to nurture or guide them,</i>
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<i> they seem to spend their short lives</i> <i> working out how they want to do something.</i> <i> The more they experience,</i> <i> the more they learn.</i> <i> And all beyond human speed.</i> <i> One of the biggest questions is just how octopuses</i>
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<i> retain all this information.</i> <i> In the Caribbean, tucked safely in her den,</i> <i>this island octopus is sleepin.</i> <i> She's earned it.</i> [♪ soft piano music] <i> She spends her days hunting in a complex world,</i> <i>full of obstacles, and enemies.</i>
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<i>To help navigate it, scientists believe that octopuses</i> <i> have an especially sharp memory for geography.</i> <i> They might be able to build a mental map of visual landmarks.</i> <i> And remember what they touch and taste.</i> <i> Like a multisensory GPS.</i>
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<i> This built-in roadmap points them to food.</i> [♪ dramatic music] <i> It's also a lifesaver.</i> <i> Barracuda are dangerous.</i> <i> Like most octopuses, she fires ink to create a distraction.</i> <i> But it's her memory that provides an escape route.</i>
Speaker A
<i> A direct path back to her den.</i> <i> She might sleep for 4 hours.</i> <i> But her mind may not be entirely offline.</i> <i> It could be downloading.</i> [♪ cheerful music] [air hissing] <i> Dr C.E. O'Brien is fascinated by the secret of octopus sleep.</i>
Speaker A
<i> In particular, the role sleep plays</i> <i> in octopus learning.</i> [Dr C .E. O'Brien] Over the course of 24 hours, the octopus spends about 60% of the time actually sleeping.
Speaker A
I was very excited when I first saw the octopus sleeping, because it is a behavior that had only been observed in the lab before.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> To document her sleep, Dr O'Brien places a</i> <i> small camera at the mouth of her den.</i> [Dr C.E. O'Brien] I can tell she's asleep um, by the dilation of her pupils.
Speaker A
It becomes a very narrow slit. So for about 40 minutes, she'll be a very pale color, very quiet, very little movement, you'll just see her breathing.
Speaker A
Then after about 40 minutes, she'll show something like REM sleep. So very suddenly there'll be changes in color.
Speaker A
[♪ magical music] You'll see movement of her mantle, her arms, her suckers. It really seems like when she's in that active sleep that she is experiencing dreams.
Speaker A
It reminds me of a dog when it's sleeping and it's moving its paws and its whiskers um, probably dreaming of chasing a squirrel or a rabbit.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> This similarity to a dog may be no coincidence.</i> [Dr C.E. O'Brien] In mammals and birds, sleep plays an important role in memory consolidation and learning, so it's very likely that octopuses sleep for the same reasons.
Speaker A
So it's possible that she's consolidating the memories of the new path that she took while she was foraging.
Speaker A
Remembering where a particular tasty crab was, or maybe a particularly nasty eel was. I wonder sometimes if the octopuses are dreaming about me.
Speaker A
Um, maybe she's dreaming about my face sticking in her den, wondering what I am, who I am, why I'm there.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> If octopuses really do dream, it could explain</i> <i> how they're able to retain so much knowledge,</i> <i> in such short lives.</i> [bird cawing] <i> But what if everything they know about the world</i> <i> isn't just remembered,</i> <i> but used as the raw material for brand new ideas?</i>
Speaker A
<i> [Narrator] Dr Alex Schnell and Benhur Sarinda</i> <i> have returned to the den of the coconut octopus.</i> <i> The octopus has already shown Alex tool use,</i> <i> using a shell to hide from predators,</i> <i> but Alex hopes that if she's patient,</i>
Speaker A
<i> she may get to see something even more astonishing.</i> <i> Creativity.</i> [Dr Alex Schnell] When we're looking for glimmers of intelligence, we traditionally focus on animals that are more closely related to us, but to find it in an octopus,
Speaker A
that's so distantly related from humans, that would completely reframe the way we think about intelligence in the animal kingdom.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> Her clam shell hideout is safely tucked</i> <i> into the sand.</i> <i> It's the perfect location.</i> <i> But you can't always pick your neighbors.</i> <i> A mantis shrimp has moved in next door.</i> <i> The octopus would gladly eat her tiny new neighbor.</i>
Speaker A
<i> But this standoff isn't as one-sided as it looks.</i> <i> The shrimp may be small, but he's highly aggressive,</i> <i> highly territorial,</i> <i> and armed with the fastest punch in the animal kingdom.</i> <i> See that leg with the white club-like tip</i>
Speaker A
<i> folded down in front?</i> <i> That's a defiant fighting pose known as the meral spread.</i> <i> See that punch?</i> <i> Well, you can't, because it's as fast as a bullet.</i> <i> And 50 times faster than the blink of an eye.</i>
Speaker A
<i> A mantis shrimp's high-powered punch can kill animals</i> <i> much larger than themselves.</i> <i> It's brains versus prawn.</i> <i> Time to see what</i> <i> being one of the fastest learners on the planet</i> <i> gets you when your back's against the wall.</i>
Speaker A
<i> The octopus blasts the shrimp with water.</i> <i> But this tiny terror is just too fast.</i> [♪ dramatic music] <i> And his punch too painful.</i> <i> Then, Alex witnesses something extraordinary.</i> <i> The octopus has an idea.</i> [♪ curious music]
Speaker A
<i> She picks up the building blocks of her house,</i> <i> and repurposes them.</i> <i> She's imagined herself a shield.</i> [♪ dramatic music] [Dr Alex Schnell] I just couldn't believe what I was seeing.
Speaker A
I was screaming underwater. Coming out of her den and grabbing that shell to use it as a shield, it was such a beautiful example of really complex intelligence.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> Taking a familiar object and reimagining it?</i> <i> That's behavior never filmed before.</i> -I felt completely shocked down there today at the level of sophistication that I was witnessing.
Speaker A
It reshapes the way we think about the octopus mind and just what they're capable of.
Speaker A
Scientists often look for answers in animals more closely related to us, like chimpanzees, elephants, and whales, but to get a bigger picture of how intelligence evolved, we need to look at diverse species, and the octopus is key.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> Octopuses may have no parents to guide them.</i> <i> And live such short lives.</i> <i> But from the moment they're born,</i> <i> they use their minds,</i> <i> memory,</i> <i> and remarkable ability to innovate</i> <i> not just to survive, but to thrive</i>
Speaker A
<i> in their underwater world.</i> [Narrator]<i> Beneath the waves,</i> <i> lives a mysterious creature,</i> <i> older than the dinosaurs.</i> <i> Octopus!</i> <i> So incredibly alien.</i> <i> Changing color in an instant.</i> <i> Shapeshifting into almost anything.</i> <i> They are the planet's true masters of disguise.</i>
Speaker A
<i> Now we're discovering,</i> <i> they are one of the most intelligent beings</i> <i> on the planet.</i> <i> Two years immersed in their world,</i> <i> reveals they use tools.</i> -I felt completely shocked at the level of sophistication that I was witnessing.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> Think creatively.</i> <i> Communicate with other species.</i> <i> And maybe even dream.</i> -I wonder sometimes if the octopuses are dreaming about me, wondering what I am, who I am.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> We're just beginning to understand</i> <i> what they have to tell us.</i> -I have just had a conversation with an octopus.
Speaker A
[♪ theme music plays] [Narrator]<i> Deep beneath the ocean's surface,</i> <i>a female giant Pacific octopus,</i> <i> guards her eggs inside a hidden cave.</i> <i> She won't leave them, even to eat.</i> <i> They need her protection.</i> <i> She's been caring for them for over seven months.</i>
Speaker A
<i> Slowly starving to death.</i> <i> Keeping her babies safe,</i> <i> will be the last thing she'll ever do.</i> <i> This tiny octopus, about the size of a grain of rice,</i> <i> will head out into the world alone.</i> <i> Never knowing its mother or siblings.</i>
Speaker A
<i> Octopuses are nature's ultimate loners.</i> <i> Or so, scientists thought.</i> <i> National Geographic Explorer Dr. Alex Schnell</i> <i> has spent years studying Animal Psychology.</i> <i> She believes octopuses are more social than we realize.</i> [Dr. Alex Schnell] When you spend time with an octopus
Speaker A
you get the feeling that they're as curious about you as you are about them.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> Over many hours of diving in Northern Australia,</i> <i> she's gained the trust</i> <i> of a shy female day octopus.</i> [Dr. Alex Schnell] There was a moment between us where she must have decided that I wasn't a threat to her
Speaker A
and let me follow her around. [Narrator]<i> Alex has even given her a name.</i> [Dr. Alex Schnell] She'd had a little scar below her eye and that's how I named her Scarlett.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> Although she might accept Alex,</i> <i> octopuses like Scarlett are usually wary of their own kind.</i> [Dr. Alex Schnell] They're essentially lone rangers.
Speaker A
In fact, octopuses that bump into each other will often either mate, eat each other, or both.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> So, when another day octopus approaches Scarlet,</i> <i> Alex is concerned.</i> [Dr. Alex Schnell] I was so nervous.
Speaker A
Because you never know how these things are gonna turn out. [Narrator]<i> They size each other up,</i> <i> both darken their skin color,</i> <i> often a sign of aggression.</i> <i> Scarlett needs to work out what the intruder wants.</i> <i> And there's only one way to do that.</i>
Speaker A
[Dr. Alex Schnell] The really strange thing about day octopuses is that they have to touch each other to figure out what the other one wants.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> Scarlett uses her suckers,</i> <i> 25 times more sensitive than a human fingertip,</i> <i> to shake hands with the stranger.</i> <i> He's a male, looking for a mate.</i> <i> Scarlett's not interested.</i> <i> But he won't give up.</i> <i> Scarlett's in trouble.</i>
Speaker A
<i> If he gets his arms tight around her,</i> <i> she could be suffocated.</i> [♪ tense music] [Dr. Alex Schnell] It was such a relief to watch her break free.
Speaker A
<i> [Narrator] With social interactions so dangerous,</i> <i> it's easy to see why an octopus-like Scarlett</i> <i> would choose to be alone.</i> <i> But she seems perfectly content to hang out with Alex.</i> [Dr. Alex Schnell] I can form a social bond with an octopus
Speaker A
so, maybe this idea that they're complete loners isn't true. [Narrator]<i> There's growing evidence that octopuses are</i> <i> using their intelligence to weigh up who to get close to.</i> <i> They're not anti-social, just discerning!</i> <i> Especially when it comes to the opposite sex.</i>
Speaker A
<i> To understand how octopuses choose</i> <i> who to spend their time with,</i> <i> we need to look at their dating habits.</i> <i> In Indonesia, of one octopus is helping to</i> <i> is helping to rewrite the rulebook on their relationship.</i>
Speaker A
[squirting] <i>Trapped in his den by low tide,</i> <i> this male algae octopus can't wait to be free.</i> <i> Because when the water rises,</i> <i> he goes looking for romance.</i> <i> [Narrator] Since he only comes out of his den a few hours a day,</i>
Speaker A
<i> he needs to fast-track it.</i> <i> Luckily, his zip code means mates aplenty.</i> <i> But all the local octopuses</i> <i> are making the most of high tide.</i> <i> It's octopus speed-dating!</i> [♪ curious music] <i> It's a social situation so unusual,</i>
Speaker A
<i> marine biologist Dr. Christine Huffard</i> <i> has been studying it for two decades.</i> [Dr. Christine Huffard] The algae octopus interact frequently, many times a day.
Speaker A
But the more I watch the algae octopus the more questions I have about what really drives these social interactions.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> Could this closely packed arena be the reason</i> <i> algae octopuses break the mold when it comes to socializing?</i> <i> The young male has spotted a female.</i> <i> But a more experienced striped rival gets there first.</i> <i> His extended arm is an open invitation to mate.</i>
Speaker A
<i> Our young male is prepared to fight for her.</i> [♪ intense music] <i> The males wrestle,</i> <i> each of their eight arms moving independently,</i> <i> it's the ultimate showdown.</i> [♪ anticipatory music] <i> But it's more than just a physical fight,</i>
Speaker A
<i> it's intelligence gathering.</i> -It learns its rank among the other neighbors around it and what resources it might be able to take.
Speaker A
What it can get away with behaviorally. What it needs to fight for. [Narrator]<i> These octopuses are not only living together,</i> <i> they're getting smarter because of it.</i> <i> It's social learning.</i> <i> And scientists didn't know wild octopuses could do it.</i>
Speaker A
<i> The young male is still on his quest for love.</i> <i> But now, he's got a new strategy.</i> <i> Best to go for a female who's not already taken.</i> <i> He starts the conversation.</i> <i> His tens of thousands of color-changing skin cells,</i>
Speaker A
<i> send a message.</i> <i> Scientists call this "Passing Cloud display."</i> [♪ magical music] <i> Her reply looks promising.</i> <i> He moves in.</i> [♪ tango music] [Dr. Christine Huffard] He sticks up his papillae over his eye, which is a little finger-like, fleshy projection.
Speaker A
He looks as big as he can be. He's got a white background with a big black stripe that says I will either fight you or mate with you.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> His come-on has done the trick.</i> <i> He extends his specialized mating arm.</i> <i> Its modified tip will deliver a packet of sperm.</i> <i> If he can just find the right spot.</i> <i> Nope, still not it!</i> <i> But she's getting impatient and hungry.</i>
Speaker A
<i> He's gotten this far, so if she wants to go hunting,</i> <i> he'll hang on.</i> <i> Mating on the move.</i> <i> It's been a steep learning curve for this little guy.</i> <i> But his decision to interact with others,</i>
Speaker A
<i> whether fighting, communicating, or mating,</i> <i> has made him smarter,</i> <i> and, more successful.</i> <i> But is the algae octopus a one-off?</i> <i> Christine thinks not.</i> -We might learn that there are other social octopuses out there, that it's maybe not as uncommon as we think.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> Algae octopuses are forced to interact,</i> <i> but there are places where octopuses</i> <i> choose to come together.</i> <i> [Narrator] Over 100 miles off the coast of Costa Rica.</i> <i> And nearly two miles beneath the surface of the ocean,</i>
Speaker A
<i> in one of the most extreme environments on Earth,</i> <i> a team of scientists made a remarkable discovery.</i> <i> A brand-new species.</i> <i> Nicknamed the Dorado octopus,</i> <i> but so new to science,</i> <i> they're yet to be given an official name.</i>
Speaker A
<i>And they didn't just find a fe,</i> <i> they found over 100.</i> <i> Almost all are females, caring for their eggs.</i> <i> This is one of only four deep-sea octopus nurseries</i> <i> known to exist on our planet.</i> <i>What attracts so many moms-to-e to this particular spot?</i>
Speaker A
<i> A deep-sea spring,</i> <i> where warm water flows out of cracks in the sea floor.</i> <i> Speeding up the development of their eggs.</i> <i> Being so close to each other is a price worth paying.</i> <i> These moms will be down here together, for almost two years,</i>
Speaker A
<i> as their babies grow.</i> <i> Each tiny hatchling a symbol of their mutual tolerance.</i> <i> Scientists believe more sites like this remain undiscovered.</i> <i> There could be thousands of octopus putting their</i> <i> differences aside to secure the next generation.</i>
Speaker A
<i>But what happens when octopuses of different species meet?</i> [birds cawing] <i> Dr. Alex Schnell has heard that underneath</i> <i> this unassuming pier,</i> <i> something highly unusual is happening.</i> <i> The action happens at night.</i> [splashing] [♪ mysterious music] [Dr. Alex Schnell] I only have the tiny light from my torch
Speaker A
to guide me. [bubbles] You have this eerie feeling as you're moving through the water.
Speaker A
[♪ mysterious music] I noticed two little eyes popping out. And it's a pale octopus.
Speaker A
She comes out, and we have this wonderful moment where her suckers touch my gloved hand.
Speaker A
It felt like she was inviting me to go on a swim with her. [Narrator]<i> The pale octopus leads Alex to an up-cycled</i> <i> artificial reef created by divers.</i> <i> It may not look like much,</i> <i> but it offers octopuses everything they need</i>
Speaker A
<i> to feel at home.</i> <i> They are everywhere.</i> <i> Peeking back at Alex from every cubby hole.</i> <i> But that's not the only thing that caught Alex's attention.</i> [Dr. Alex Schnell] Normally I'd see about one or two octopuses
Speaker A
and they're usually of the same species. But down here you have about 100 individuals, of five different species, and they're all just living together.
Speaker A
From octopuses as small as a golf ball, to octopuses as big as a beach ball.
Speaker A
That is an extraordinary octopus oasis down there, with several species co-existing. <i> [Narrator] Great real estate may have attracted so many</i> <i> octopuses here.</i> <i> But it doesn't explain how animals that would normally</i> <i> fight, even kill each other,</i>
Speaker A
<i> are living harmoniously.</i> [♪ curious music] -I've got a theory that might help explain what we're seeing here.
Speaker A
We've got five different species, with very different personalities. The Maori, one of the largest species in the world, is quite shy.
Speaker A
And then a really tiny octopus, the Southern Keeled, has a lot of sass. It's a perfect mix of personalities for them all to co-exist.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> So perhaps, just like us,</i> <i>sometimes it's their differencs that allow them to get along.</i> <i> In this thriving octopolis,</i> <i> they've learned to defy their instincts</i> <i> and live peacefully with their neighbors.</i> [birds cawing] <i> Octopuses are smart enough to choose companionship</i>
Speaker A
<i> when it counts,</i> <i> but are there any limits to who they'll cooperate with?</i> <i>Alex's favorite loner, Scarlet,</i> <i> is out hunting on the reef.</i> <i> And she's not the only one.</i> [♪ threatening music] <i> A coral trout.</i>
Speaker A
<i> Growing up to three feet long and weighing three times</i> <i> as much as Scarlett.</i> <i> Big enough to be a threat.</i> <i> Scarlett is certainly keeping an eye on him.</i> <i> But not because she's scared.</i> [♪ threatening music]
Speaker A
<i> When the small fish flee,</i> <i> they're out of his reach.</i> <i> Not Scarlett's though!</i> <i> He needs to call in the octopus cavalry,</i> <i> and changes his body color from patterned to pale.</i> <i> It's the beginning of a signal Scarlett's been waiting for.</i>
Speaker A
<i> Because this trout is now her hunting buddy!</i> <i> Scarlett watches as he shows her where to look.</i> <i> Then begins a sweep search.</i> <i> When she's in the right place,</i> <i> the trout returns to his normal pattern.</i>
Speaker A
<i> They appear to be using their bodies to talk to each other.</i> -One really fundamental component of human language is a thing called referential signaling.
Speaker A
My little girl, she's one year old, and she's already started pointing to certain things and so I can deduce that she might want a drink if she points to my water bottle, but of course, a fish doesn't have a hand to point,
Speaker A
so they do a headstand. Here we have really unique communication occurring between different species.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> Scarlett gets help finding food.</i> <i> If she misses,</i> <i> more for the trout.</i> <i> It's teamwork.</i> <i> It's given Alex an idea for an impromptu experiment.</i> [Dr. Alex Schnell] Science often starts with an idea, even if they're crazy ideas.
Speaker A
After witnessing the octopus hunting with the fish, I decided to try something. [Narrator]<i> Today Scarlett is hunting alone.</i> [Dr. Alex Schnell] I follow her around and wait until she flushes out crustaceans from the coral rubble.
Speaker A
I can see that she misses a few crabs here and there. I start pointing towards them.
Speaker A
[♪ energetic music] And to my surprise, she responded. She had an understanding of what I was trying to communicate to her.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> Scarlett is quick to catch the prey</i> <i> Alex has shown her.</i> [Dr. Alex Schnell] Maybe she preferred me as a hunting partner, I was playing the role of the fish, but I wasn't taking any of her catch.
Speaker A
It felt weird, and wonderful to be having this interaction with Scarlett. Here we are, separated by over 550 million years of evolution, but we're having a conversation.
Speaker A
It just felt like magic. [♪ majestic music] [Narrator]<i> The more time we spend in the water</i> <i> with octopuses,</i> <i> the more they surprise us.</i> <i>Every remarkable new discovery,</i> <i> breaking down our beliefs</i> <i> about what they could, or should do.</i>
Speaker A
<i>Far from being lifelong loners,</i> <i> they can be social animals,</i> <i> but ones that use their skills, selectively,</i> <i> to get ahead.</i> <i> From octopus moms, doing the best for their babies,</i> <i> to cross-species partnerships,</i> <i> even with us.</i>
Speaker A
<i> As long as it suits them.</i> <i> What more secrets are yet to be revealed?</i> <i> Only time will tell.</i> [splashing] [bubbles] <i> When National Geographic Explorer Dr. Alex Schnell</i> <i> first went looking for a day octopus,</i> <i> she couldn't have imagined the journey she'd begun.</i>
Speaker A
<i> Or the friend she would make.</i> [James Cameron] So this is pretty amazing, it's really fascinated by you.
Speaker A
-As fascinated by me as I am by her. -But what do you think it is, do you think it's the eyes that it, it recognizes a, a thinking being?
Speaker A
-Well, I feel like they're driven by so much curiosity. [James Cameron] Yeah. No, you can really sense her curiosity about you.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> Day octopus are normally timid,</i> <i> but this one seemed to welcome Alex into her world.</i> -I think it's amazing how quickly she discarded the idea that you might be threatening.
Speaker A
-Mmm. -Curiosity outweighed the danger signals. -Yeah yeah. -A bigger creature, unfamiliar, could be anything.
Speaker A
-Uh huh. -You know. -Yeah, absolutely and she initiates... [James Cameron] Yeah. [Dr. Alex Schnell] The touch, which is really important.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> Alex never dreamt that an animal so alien,</i> <i> so different,</i> <i> would reach out to her.</i> -How could she have any basis for that, there wouldn't have been any kind of innate memory of that.
Speaker A
[sighing] -I ask myself that question all the time. -Yeah. [Dr. Alex Schnell] There's a lot going on in that brain.
Speaker A
[James Cameron] Yeah. [Narrator]<i> The time spent with Scarlett was further proof</i> <i> of just how intelligent octopus are.</i> <i> They learn fast, because they have to.</i> -They don't have anyone to learn from, uh, they don't live with brothers or sisters.
Speaker A
-Right, so it's not ss, it's not culturally passed down and taught by parents or you know.
Speaker A
[Dr. Alex Schnell] No, and I think everything is learnt from their environment. [James Cameron] Yeah.
Speaker A
Don't their brains develop very rapidly compared to say ours, just, just physiologically? [Dr. Alex Schnell] Yeah, so it's life in the fast lane.
Speaker A
The stakes are high, they don't have anyone to protect them. [James Cameron] Right. [Dr. Alex Schnell] So they have to learn really quickly.
Speaker A
-Yeah and they don't have any natural protection like shell, teeth, claws, anything like that, so they, yeah, they can just, they can hide, they can plan, they can watch, they can strategize.
Speaker A
[Dr. Alex Schnell] Exactly. Their mind is their weapon. [James Cameron] Yeah. They're kind of scientists.
Speaker A
You know, like the way kids are scientists. Kids just wanna know how things work, right?
Speaker A
So they're these young, curious minds that are figuring out a theory of how their world works around them.
Speaker A
-Mm-hm, yeah, it's a completely alternative pathway to intelligence, and that's... [James Cameron] Yeah -What draws me to studying these animals.
Speaker A
And these guys are just breaking all of the rules. [Narrator]<i> With their remarkable intelligence and curiosity,</i> <i> octopuses overcome almost any obstacle</i> <i> their habitat throws at them.</i> <i> Problem-solving masterminds that never switch off.</i> -She's out, she's sleeping.
Speaker A
-She's sleeping, yeah. -Octopus snoring. [Dr. Alex Schnell] It's really interesting because she goes through like this still sleep cycle here, but then she'll have a moment when she starts to move quite a bit, this is what we call an active phase of sleep.
Speaker A
[James Cameron] Yeah, like REM sleep. -Absolutely. -Yeah. -And what happens when humans have an active phase of sleep is we dream.
Speaker A
-Right. -And so it might mean that she's also dreaming. -Yeah. Oh, she's dreaming. Trust me, she's dreaming.
Speaker A
Come on, look. I mean it's like a, like a dog's paws, you know, when they're chasing rabbits in their, in their dream.
Speaker A
-Absolutely. -Of course, we don't know dogs are dreaming, but we know dogs are dreaming, we know it.
Speaker A
Well dreaming is really important to me, I mean I do a lot of my creative work, I think, in dreams.
Speaker A
You know. I mean I always said it's my own private streaming channel that's free.
Speaker A
But you know<i> Avatar</i> was based on dream imagery, <i> Terminator</i> was based on dream imagery, scenes in<i> Aliens</i> were based on dream imagery.
Speaker A
Seems pretty obvious she's dreaming to me. Now what she's dreaming about, that we can't answer.
Speaker A
[Dr. Alex Schnell] No, that we can't answer. You'll notice during the active phase, she's twitching and also...
Speaker A
-She's doing it. -Changing color. -She's doing it right now. -Mmm. -Yeah. -That could mean that she's processing memory.
Speaker A
-Yeah, so that could be experience, could be location, could be building, you know, some kind of geographic map...
Speaker A
-Exactly. -Memory map. [Dr. Alex Schnell] Building a mental map of her habitat, which could save her life in a, you know, in a future encounter.
Speaker A
Even looking at their behaviors and the way that their skin changes, that in itself is a window into their mind.
Speaker A
While we can't talk to them, their skin tell the stories. -It does tell a story.
Speaker A
[Narrator]<i> If octopuses do dream,</i> <i> it is one of many secrets</i> <i> that scientists have yet to discover.</i> <i> The more time we spend in their world,</i> <i> the more we learn about the intelligent ways they survive.</i> <i> Just 10 years ago, a large gathering of Dorado females</i>
Speaker A
<i> was discovered 10,000 feet deep.</i> [Dr. Alex Schnell] So this is more your territory.
Speaker A
[James Cameron] Well I've seen these guys plenty of times but I, I haven't seen this kind of uh, aggregating behavior where you see a bunch of them in one place, they're usually solo acts.
Speaker A
-Out of the 300 species of octopus, most of them are loners. -Right. -But you have a handful of species where you will see them aggregate into these small communities.
Speaker A
[James Cameron] Yeah. [Dr. Alex Schnell] They've come together here collectively, to take advantage of the hot water that's seeping out of the vent.
Speaker A
-Right, and, and you're thinking that the warmth of that, that hydro-thermal flow, that warm water coming up, is causing the eggs to develop faster.
Speaker A
-Yeah. -Like a bird keeping its eggs warm. [Dr. Alex Schnell] Exactly, otherwise it would just take too long.
Speaker A
We don't even have a name for an octopus group. [laughs]. -Uh, well what would you call it?
Speaker A
A flock of, of octopuses? -Yeah. -A flocktopus! -Flocktopus. [laughs]. [James Cameron] What's amazing, every time you go into the deep ocean, you're always finding out something new.
Speaker A
-So how deep have you gone then? -Well, I've gone a lot deeper than this.
Speaker A
Uh, actually to the deepest place in the, in the world, but once you get down below, you know 500 or 1,000 feet, it's all pitch black, all the way down, and I think we're at, what 10,000?
Speaker A
-10,000 feet. -10,000 feet here. Yeah so, it's pitch black all day every day, you know, and cold.
Speaker A
-But I've heard that you have also seen a dumbo octopus. -Oh, the dumbos are beautiful. -Yeah.
Speaker A
-Absolutely gorgeous and they have their little head fins, their little cephalic fins. They look like dumbo ears but they're really fins.
Speaker A
[Dr. Alex Schnell] Yeah. [James Cameron] I don't think any other species have fins like that on their head, but they're gorgeous, they're, they're translucent and they have a kind of an iridescent quality, they're really quite beautiful.
Speaker A
-Do you draw creative inspiration from these explorations? [James Cameron] Absolutely. I've got some characters in an upcoming<i> Avatar</i> film that are inspired by some of the deep uh, deep creature, deep cephalopods.
Speaker A
-Oh excellent. -Thanks. Can't say anything more about that right now. [laughing] I mean not only are these, like, particularly alien-looking octopus, but I think all octopuses are kind of alien.
Speaker A
-I think that's what draws us to them, because we, as humans are so fascinated by the unknown and by the alien, and here we have, a very alien-like creature, but then we can resonate with them as well, they show these familiar traits
Speaker A
that we can really connect to. -I mean the ocean still has so much to teach us, even in the places we think we know.
Speaker A
-Oh absolutely. Yeah, there's so much to learn still. We've got a whole different alien world down there.
Speaker A
[James Cameron] That's right. [♪ closing theme music]
Topics:octopuscamouflageintelligenceshapeshiftingmarine biologyNational GeographicDr. Alex Schnellblue-ringed octopusGreat Barrier Reefanimal behavior
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