planet earth
CAN CONTACT WITH A CEPHALOPOD BE THERAPEUTIC? Text Dr hab. Prof. UAM Hanna Mamzer Photos Wojciech Zgoła
Human relations with the animate world are based on consumption in the broadest sense of the term, which is why very few who order octopus rings in a Mediterranean restaurant are aware that they will be consuming a dish prepared from the arms of animals endowed with extraordinary cognitive abilities.
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T
hey are highly mysterious crea-
taining hemocyanin instead of the iron
tures, with a complex structure,
present in hemoglobin. Octopuses are
intricate behaviour, and uncom-
molluscs distinguished by their great
mon abilities. Classed as cephalopods,
ability for complex movements. They
octopuses, as their name suggests, have
learn based on individually collected
eight arms “growing out of their head”.
experiences as they are solitary animals,
In fact, they have six arms for grasping
spending time in pairs only during the
food and two for locomotion (walking
mating season. Thus, they do not pass
on the bottom). In addition to these
on knowledge from generation to gen-
eight limbs, they have three hearts, one
eration, as the parents only take care
pumping peripheral blood throughout
of the hatching of the larvae from eggs.
the body and two (known as branchi-
One is tempted to ask, however, what
al hearts) with which they pump blood
would happen if octopuses passed on
through the gills. The heart, which is re-
knowledge between generations, like,
sponsible for pumping blood through
for example, cetaceans? How much
the body, does not do so when octopus-
would their intelligence have developed
es are swimming. Thus, they tire quickly
and how cognitively proficient would
and therefore greatly prefer to walk on
they be? Scientific studies indicate that
the bottom. Their blood is a greenish
these mysterious cephalopods have
blue colour due to the copper-con-
a short – and long-term memory, which