photo #8797896

Why would a young octopus shut down an entire building’s power?The answer isn’t obvious at first glance, and it says a lot about how these animals think.At just six months old, Otto figured out how to climb his tank and blast a bright spotlight with a jet of water. Every time he did it, the aquarium went dark. Whether he was irritated by the light or simply exploring cause-and-effect, the behavior showed a kind of problem-solving we rarely expect from invertebrates.His keepers tried toys, puzzles, even a chessboard. Otto engaged, investigated, and eventually threw them out of his tank.