Octopuses and the Timeless Fake Arm Trick: Discover Their Surprising Reactions!

Octopuses can be tricked into thinking that a fake arm is their own. In a recent study from Japan, when scientists pinched an artificial arm, octopuses reacted as if they’d been hurt. They would change color, swim away, or pull back their limbs as if they felt a real threat.

This finding shows that octopuses are not just clever but also have a strong sense of ownership over their bodies. It’s not just an animalistic response; it’s a sign of their intelligence.

Interestingly, humans can fall for similar tricks. This phenomenon, called the body transfer illusion, was first noted in people back in 1998 and has since been observed in other animals like monkeys and mice.

The octopus’s arm reactions are impressive. Each arm operates somewhat independently, controlled by its own nerve centers. This makes their nervous system unique. Researchers Sumire Kawashima and Yuzuru Ikeda from the University of the Ryukyus conducted experiments using the plain-body night octopus (Callistoctopus aspilosomatis). They hid one arm and placed a fake arm in front of it. When they stroked both limbs and pinched the fake one, the octopus responded as if it experienced pain.

This setup mirrors how humans react in similar situations. When we can’t see one of our hands and a fake one is shown instead, our brains can confuse touch sensations and make us feel like we own the fake hand.

Why does this happen? Our brains are skilled at combining what we see and feel. It seems octopuses are quite adept at this too. Each arm has about 500 million neurons and can even taste with its suckers!

Recent studies suggest that octopuses prefer visual cues over other sensations, just like us. This could explain why they accept the fake arm as part of their own body. Kawashima and Ikeda noted that the ways octopuses perceive body ownership may resemble those in mammals.

These findings can reshape how we understand not only octopus behavior but also the evolution of sensory perception. The research underscores the intelligence of these creatures, showing that their cognition could offer clues into the development of consciousness across species.

For a deeper dive into this topic, check out the original study in Current Biology.

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