Meet the Coconut Octopus, the Cephalopod World’s Genuine Nut Job

Encounters with this comically clever species of Indo-Pacific octopus are not only entertaining they also make fantastic photo subjects.

Humans like to believe we are unique in the animal kingdom. We walk on two legs, use tools and have the ability to learn and adapt to changing environments. A few of our primate relatives show rudimentary talents in these areas, but we certainly wouldn’t expect a small, spineless sea dweller to master similar abilities. But that’s exactly what observant divers and snorkelers may discover in the waters of the Central Indo-Pacific where a discarded coconut shell may hold one of the cleverest animals in the ocean.

At first glance, there’s nothing remarkable looking about a coconut octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus). This medium-sized cephalopod is found throughout the Tropical Pacific’s Coral Triangle where it spends nights hunting shrimp, crabs, and clams in muddy or sand-bottom bays and lagoons. A network of dark lines on its body account for A. marginatus’ other common name: the veined octopus. It’s a species well known to Indonesian fishermen, who capture it by traps and trawls, and it’s also a fixture on Chinese menus, where it is known as saa liu,