Octopus tool use

There was a time, not so long ago, when humans decided that the characteristic that "separated us from the animals" was the human ability to use tools. But clever birds and other animals quickly called that notion into question. Here is a video of yet another clever animal, this one lacking a spine, that also indulges in sophisticated tool use: a veined octopus, Amphioctopus marginatus:

These Indonesian octopus scavenge the seafloor for coconut shells discarded by humans. When they find them, they adopt them as homes to protect their soft bodies from predators. Octopus even will use two similarly-sized shells to wrap around their bodies as protection. "Walking" whilst carrying a coconut shell is a sophisticated behaviour known as "stilting", requiring a lot of coordination between its eight arms.

Here's a little more about these remarkable animals:

Footage shot by Dr Julian Finn of Museum Victoria.

Finn, J.K., T. Tregenza and M.D. Norman. (2009) Defensive tool use in a coconut-carrying octopus, Current Biology, Volume 19, Issue 23, R1069-R1070, 15 December 2009 [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2009.10.052] Read the full text or follow link to download free PDF.