Thurs., 5/3/12: The Improbably Intelligent Octopus

The Improbably Intelligent Octopus
Forget the myths of the man-eating octopus, the giant tentacled killer that wraps its arms around wayward ships and pulls them to the deep seabed. Those stories, told and retold by weather-hardened seafarers and pulp novelists, are more fiction than fact. The science on octopuses (not octopi) has revealed them as savvy, intelligent, and - yes - even affectionate tank-dwellers. Writer Sy Montgomery's recent article in Orion Magazine, "Deep Intellect", chronicles Sy's encounters with Athena, a giant Pacific octopus at the New England Aquarium. It inspired us to get inside the minds of these crafty, camouflaged cephalopods.

Guests:
   Sy Montgomery is the author of many books and essays about animals. She's written about birds, tarantulas, pigs, tigers and pink dolphins.
  Roger Hanlon is a senior scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. He researches the behaviors of octopuses, cuttlefish and squids. See his well-known video of a camouflaged squid emerging and "inking" here.