Octopuses are not in complete control of their arms, but evolution has devised a clever and simple way to prevent them from getting tied in knots: Something in their skin prevents their own suckers from grabbing on.
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Octopuses are not in complete control of their arms, but evolution has devised a clever and simple way to prevent them from getting tied in knots: Something in their skin prevents their own suckers from grabbing on.
An octopus handling its own freshly amputated arm holds it gingerly and avoids grasping the skin, while an octopus handling another octopus' arm grasps the skin easily.
Octopuses don't know where their six arms and two legs are in any given moment, but a new study shows why they never tie their limbs in a knot. Continue reading