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"The Soul of an Octopus" by Sy Montgomery

book review by Riley Burnham 12/20/2022

really good book -- lots to learn here

a deep-diving view into the worlds & minds of octopuses [she says that octopi is actually incorrect w/ Greek/Latin translations for plurals]

a worker in an aquarium w/ many fascinating stories & discoveries to relay -- from her first tentacular embrace [so intimate] to watching her cephalopod friends deteriorate after laying eggs...

clever, smart [like dogs, or even moreso], & individual; these octopuses have a toolbelt full of surprises [many-lobed brains, color & texture-changing skin, inking, regenerating limbs, a water jet [also a toy for them], & a KNACK for problem-solving/escaping spaces]; this gives us lots of keen insights

they appear to know people by sight [& treat individuals uniquely], can follow pointing fingers toward food [rare among mammals even], often douse people w/ water using their jets, can open all sorts of complex locks & boxes, can use tools, & of course much much more

a couple bites occur [thankfully on the gentler side, & w/o venom per their choosing], as if play bites using their beaks

it's apparently a recent discovery/change that takes aquarium workers [aquarians i do think they're called] from merely spectating & cleaning octopuses & anacondas to actually playing w/, touching, & entertaining [she said anacondas will nestle up into human laps if trusting enough] -- holding hands/tentacles w/ these alien beasts

she said their suction cups [thousands they have] can read subtle cues in people's skin like hormones, toxins, etc. & will show discernment depending on their counterpart [nervous people often get hosed, hahaha]

so much good stuff here

she even treks into the ocean to meet them at home

​​​​​​​adding apparently octopodes would be the Greek tense, although octopuses would be English...