Octopuses, once shrouded in mystery and viewed as alien undersea creatures, are getting a new reputation as research illuminates that they’re far more social than previously believed.
A new book titled “Secrets of the Octopus” — spearheaded by two devoted octopus enthusiasts, naturalist and author Sy Montgomery and OctoNation founder Warren Carlyle — unveils the latest insights into these peculiar creatures.
Montgomery recalled how octopuses used to be viewed as solitary beings, meeting only for mating.
“Sometimes it was a literal dinner date and one would eat the other one,” she said on Boston Public Radio Wednesday.
But then came 2015: the “golden age of octopus research.”
Even though octopuses are cannibalistic beings, research shows they have a social side to them.
The Australian gloomy octopus, named for its expressive eyes, has been documented in such dense packs that their study sites were named "Octopolis" and "Octlantis" off the coast of Australia. Around 2017, a group of 16 octopuses were found to be living together.
Montgomery expanded on octopus behaviors, including responses to irritation, such as hurling shells at other octopuses — a testament to their complex social dynamics like human neighbors might have.
Carlyle, head of the world’s largest octopus fan club, also keeps up to take on the latest research on octopuses’ “suckers,” the tiny little suction cups all over their arms.
The tiny yet powerful features enable them to taste, smell and grab objects with astounding dexterity, Carlyle said. With proteins similar to those found in human eyes, it suggests an ability that the sea creatures can “sense contrast and light.”
“What's cool is that they can also pick up large objects. Depending on the diameter of the sucker, they can move up to 35 pounds,” Carlyle said.
Some have even adapted to survive in supremely cold or hot temperatures, like the Antarctic octopus and the hot-water volcano octopus that lives — as the name suggests — near hydrothermal vents.
“Octopuses exist in every single ocean. They exist on every single coastline in the world. And depending on where they live, they have a unique superpower or adaptive trait that allows them to be masters in the environment,” he added.
Their book “Secrets of the Octopus,” released March 19, is written in partnership with National Geographic. Nat Geo’s documentary series premieres April 21.
