CTHULHU SPAWN? Octopus Brains Are So Much Cooler Than You Think
Let’s clear up one thing right off the bat: “Octopuses” is a perfectly acceptable plural of “octopus”—and it makes a heck of a lot more sense than “octopi.” That’s because the word derives from Greek (oktopous, meaning “eight feet”), not Latin.
This week’s episode of the Inquiring Minds podcast is all about octopuses, specifically how these amazing cephalopods—the group of marine invertebrates that also includes squid and cuttlefish—are vastly more intelligent than they get credit for. That’s right: Octopuses lead a life of the mind. Not that they have a brain like you’re probably picturing, exactly.
“Their brain is so unlike ours, it’s almost difficult to describe it as a brain,” explains Sy Montgomery, a naturalist and author whose most recent book, The Soul of an Octopus, is a fascinating dive into cephalopod psychology. “Ours is like a walnut in a shell; their brain wraps around the throat.” Montgomery was interviewed by Inquiring Minds co-host Indre Viskontas; you can listen to the entire conversation below: