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In History of Animals, written around 350 B.C.E., the Greek philosopher claimed, “The octopus is a stupid creature, for it will approach a man’s hand if it be lowered in the water; but it is neat and thrifty in its habits: that is, it lays up stores in its nest, and, after eating up all that is eatable, it ejects the shells and sheaths of crabs and shellfish, and the skeletons of little fishes.” After describing a few more quirks of octopus life—it releases ink for self-defense, it’s slimy, it can crawl on land—he signs off with a flippant burn on the octopus’ phylum: “So much for the mollusca.”

Aristotle’s dismissal has since been proved wrong. Octopuses have big brains for their size, and they’re able to figure things out, like how to open a clamshell that’s been wired shut. They can navigate mazes, solve problems, remember solutions and take things apart for fun. Octopuses even have distinct personalities, as explored in the Oscar-winning documentary My Octopus Teacher. Finally, the cephalopods play—in one instance, by conducting a pseudo-game of catch with a floating bottle. —Smithsonian Magazine

“Octopuses followed a different evolutionary path, making them different from all other intelligent animals on this planet,” said David Scheel. “I am less intrigued by the differences and more interested in our similarities. What kind of a connection is possible with an animal that has three hearts and blue blood running through its veins? It’s been a privilege to have a relationship with such a strange and wonderful creature.”

Octopus Dreaming

“Last night I witnessed something I've never seen recorded before. You know if she is dreaming, this is a dramatic moment. You could almost just narrate the body changes. And narrate the dream…”

Traveling Home

“Our understanding of octopus intelligence took another leap forward, when in Indonesia, in 2009, researchers reported a veined octopus doing something truly remarkable. It was discovery that would put our understanding of the octopus onto a new level of sentience occupied by only a few species of animals…”

Baby Cephalopods’ First Moments

“Their color-changing cells start flashing while they're still in the egg. Three types of cells with neural control make color change almost instantaneous. These young pajama squid use this to produce their signature striped pattern. But there is one cephalopod that is the master. Just a few centimeters long, these baby flamboyant cuttles can beguile anyone with a shape shift that is out of this world.”

Smithsonian Magazine

Rachel Nuwer; Updated by Sonja Anderson

They Have Three Hearts, Big Brains and Blue Blood

These bizarre creatures have been around for hundreds of millions of years, and for humans, they’ve inspired horror, admiration…

Classy-looking medium-sized penguin. Slender “chinstrap” is unique and unmistakable, but can be difficult to see at a distance; instead, note this species’ white face, dark bill, and cleanly flat-