They can also figure out how to get out of a jar.
How would an octopus know how to get at the contents of a jar with a twist-off cap? I mean, it’s not something he’s seen before, and learned how to do by watching others do it. What would happen if you let an octopus watch a lot of chess games?
Anyway, here’s some of God’s stuff to start the day–the intelligence of the octopus. God’s creation: that’s how He made them, for His own good pleasure.
When it comes to creation, the Lord Our God has a lot of cards to play. He doesn’t have to confine intelligence and sensitivity to creatures who have fur, feathers, and skeletons.
Think about it. Mammals, birds, reptiles, even fish–they have a lot in common. But an octopus? No bones. No skull. Nothing cuddly about it. But an octopus does have a brain; and, by all accounts, a fairly good one. See how this octopus interacts with the human beings who rescued it from stranding. A lot of the scientists who work with octopi, I’ve read, wind up liking them–and always being fascinated by how smart they are.
God’s stuff: you can’t put a limit on His creativity.
How smart is an octopus? Well, here’s one who learned how to open a fairly complicated jar just by seeing another octopus do it–once.
I wonder if he can learn to play chess. Imagine being the first human to lose a chess game to an octopus.