Octopuses Display Astonishing Mirror-Using Abilities, Sparking Insights into Evolutionary Intelligence

Researchers at Dartmouth have discovered that octopuses can learn to use mirrors to locate concealed food, a landmark skill only seen in vertebrates until now. This study challenges perceptions of invertebrate intelligence and could offer insights into the evolution of cognitive abilities across diverse species.

In a groundbreaking study, Dartmouth researchers unveiled that octopuses possess the ability to learn and use mirrors to locate hidden food, a skill previously thought exclusive to vertebrates like mammals and birds. The octopuses, trained to understand reflections, identified food location with a 73% success rate, revealing their potential for using tools.

Known for their intelligence, octopuses have added another remarkable skill to their repertoire, akin to the famed escape artist Inky, who fled from New Zealand's National Aquarium in 2016. The study, published in Current Biology, indicates octopuses' capability for sophisticated spatial cognition using mirrors, long considered beyond invertebrates' reach.

Lead author Mary Kieseler noted that this mirror-using ability in invertebrates demonstrates evolving intelligence, emphasizing the octopus's ancient divergence from humans. This discovery raises questions about convergent evolution, suggesting that different species might evolve similar cognitive processes independently to tackle analogous challenges in complex environments like coral reefs and seafloors.