Nervous System
An octopus has a highly complex nervous system, only part of which is located in its brain. Two thirds of an octopus's nernons are found in the nerve cords of its arms. Octopus arms have a varity of complex reflex actions that persist even when they have no input from the brain.
Some octopuses, such as the mimic Octopus, will move their arms in ways that are similar to the shape and movements of other sea creatures. Octopuses often break out of their aquariums and sometimes into others in search of food. They have even boarded fishing boats and opened holds to eat crabs.
Octopuses also have an excellent sense of touch. The flexibility of an octopus's arms is much greater than that of the limbs of vertebrates, which devote large areas of cerebral cortex to the processing of proprioceptive inputs.As a result, the octopus does not possess stereognosis which means it does not form a mental image of the overall shape of the object it is handling. It can detect local texture variations, but cannot integrate the information into a larger picture.
Some octopuses, such as the mimic Octopus, will move their arms in ways that are similar to the shape and movements of other sea creatures. Octopuses often break out of their aquariums and sometimes into others in search of food. They have even boarded fishing boats and opened holds to eat crabs.
Octopuses also have an excellent sense of touch. The flexibility of an octopus's arms is much greater than that of the limbs of vertebrates, which devote large areas of cerebral cortex to the processing of proprioceptive inputs.As a result, the octopus does not possess stereognosis which means it does not form a mental image of the overall shape of the object it is handling. It can detect local texture variations, but cannot integrate the information into a larger picture.