How many brains does an octopus have?
In the oceans of our world, the octopus lurks in coral reefs and rocky habitats.
These clever animals have evolved fascinating abilities such as camouflaging and using their tentacles with a mind of their own.
And if that wasn’t enough, they also have up to 9 brains.
But honestly, we don’t know how the octopus uses all of these brains at once.
What Are These Brains Capable Of?
The octopus brain has a highly folded structure.
It is located in the center of its body beside its digestive tract.
The arms each have a nerve net that allows them to perform simple tasks.
These tasks could include grabbing prey and reacting to damaging conditions.
For higher functions, the octopus brain takes over and allows the arms to coordinate with each other.
This is so they can accomplish difficult tasks such as opening a jar or holding down prey.
But in addition to the octopus brain, there are three-chambered hearts that power the animal’s circulatory system independent of the octopus brain.
This way, if the octopus brain dies, it doesn’t bring its hearts down with it.
On top of that, an octopus’s blood flows at a hypotonic (i.e., less salty) concentration to all its organs which allows them to maintain more energy-efficient functioning than most other animals would be able to.
Two-thirds of an octopus’s neurons are located in the arms themselves which makes it possible for them to continue performing motor tasks even after they have been severed from their bodies and eventually die.
So despite having all these brains, we really don’t know how the octopus uses each one of them and what functions they carry out.
And so, within the octopus’s many brains, here’s a big question.
How does an octopus use all these brains at once?
