Wednesday, May 22, 2024

The amazing octopus

An octopus is an amazing creature. You probably already knew that, but you will be even more amazed after reading The Soul of an Octopus (2015) by Sy Montgomery.

An octopus has eight legs and nine brains, one in each leg in addition to a central brain. It can taste with each of these legs.  Not only do octopuses have different personalities, but even the those legs seem to have different personalities. Some are reserved, while others are more bold and eager to explore.

An octopus is much stronger than a human being. It is able to open tight jars, solve puzzles and escape from all but the most secure enclosures.

A female octopus lays eggs by the thousands. Only about two out of 100,000 eggs will survive and result in an adult octopus.

An octopus has three hearts. It can change color and blend in with almost any background.

An octopus can understand pointing and even watch television.

Yet for all its intelligence and strength and curiosity, an octopus's lifespan is shockingly short, usually just three or four years.

Montgomery, the author of a number of books about wild creatures, got to know several octopuses in a personal way through many visits to an aquarium in Boston. She also learned to scuba dive in order to see octopuses in their natural habitat.

She writes beautifully and tenderly. As for her title, she defines a soul as "the fingerprint of God." By that definition she concludes that an octopus has a soul, and in her book she attempts to relate her own soul to that of several wondrous and mysterious octopuses.

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