Octopuses have nine brains and three hearts
That explains why they're so intelligent.
We know them as these intelligent creatures with eight tentacles that can manoeuvre through tight spaces and random obstacles. And for some of us, we recall Paul the Octopus that accurately predicted the results of 12 out of 14 football matches.
But there’s something else about octopuses that makes them even more unique. It’s their nine brains and three hearts.
Yes, you read that right. Octopuses have nine brains and three hearts.
Let’s talk about their brains first.
Most animals like us have a central nervous system where we rely on our single brain to send messages to move our arms and legs. Meanwhile, octopuses have a de-centralised nervous system, where they have a central brain and eight mini brains.
The octopuses’ central brain is located between their eyes that controls their nervous system. It’s also responsible for higher cognitive functions, processing sensory information and decision-making.
Meanwhile their other eight brains are located in each of their eight arms. This allows the octopus to independently control each arm. Their arms can even send information to each other without the central brain being aware of it.
Talk about multi-tasking.
And just like their brains, their three hearts also have a specific function.
Octopuses have two branchial hearts that pump blood to the gills to pick up oxygen. This process lets them exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen.
Then once the blood is oxygenated in the gills, the third heart - the systemic heart, pumps the oxygen-rich blood throughout the rest of their body, including their eight arms.
To top it all off, octopuses also have blue blood.
Like seriously, their blood is blue.
The reason why octopuses have blue blood is because they have a copper-based molecule called hemocyanin in their blood. Unlike haemoglobin found in our blood that is iron-based, hemocyanin is more efficient at transporting oxygen in cold, low-oxygen environments such as those conditions found on the bottom of the ocean floor.
And combined with their high metabolic rate, it’s important that octopuses receive enough oxygen to function. Hence why they have three hearts to ensure their body receives the oxygen it needs, including their brains.
So, does having three brains make them smarter than us? Potentially. I mean, look at Paul the Octopus. He did do a better job at predicting football matches than anyone else in the world did. I don’t think we can quite beat that.