Scientists consider octopuses to be the most intelligent invertebrates and an advanced animal in terms of cognitive evolution.
Just when they thought they had seen it all, certain species of octopus went ahead and surprised Chrissy Huffard, a senior researcher at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, by running and prancing about backwards using a pair of their boneless tentacles.
This ridiculous looking defence mechanism raises many questions including how they are able to run without bones to why they would adopt run while they can virtually disappear and bolt using camouflage and jet propulsion.
Watch Huffard explain why these Coleoidea subclass have adopted this hilariously goofy gait to run from predators in this Science Friday video:
We can assume that Frank Grasso from the Brooklyn College will be least surprised when he hears about the latest developments. He did say that “they truly are the closest things we have to aliens in terms of the way their brains are organised and work.”
Watch Frank talk about how distinctly intelligent an octopus making look ‘alien-like’ :
