This animal has many brains, not just one
it's got a big central brain and then a mini one in each arm!
Imagine an arm that's been separated from its body
Gut call — how extreme does this actually get?
Reality tends to overshoot. Pick your ceiling.
- it's got a big central brain and then a mini one in each arm!
- This distributed intelligence allows the octopus to multitask in ways humans can't process.
- Even more unsettling is that the central brain often doesn't know exactly what the arms are doing until it sees the results.
If you cut off a human arm, it stops moving. If you cut off an octopus arm, it will continue to crawl around and try to grab food for several hours.
This happens because two-thirds of an octopus's neurons are located in its arms, not its head. Each limb has its own mini-brain that can make decisions without waiting for a signal from the central nervous system.
An octopus doesn't have to 'think' about moving an arm. The arm tastes the water and feels the texture of a rock entirely on its own. While the central brain might decide to hunt, the arms decide exactly how to untie a knot or open a jar.
Two questions. Prove you actually read it.
Get both right and this discovery is certified: +50 XP toward your next rank. No account needed.
100 questions that make people say “wait, what?”
Get the complete Ultimate Trivia Pack instantly. It is free right now, works on mobile, and is printable.
Discussion (0)
No account needed. Drop your name, say what surprised you.
Loading…