Octopus quiz: Are you a sucker for cephalopod science?

A large rust colored octopus floats next to a white stony reef. — A Hawaiian day octopus (*Octopus cyanea*) floats in shallow water. (Image credit: Douglas Klug via Getty Images)

Octopuses are a useful reminder that complex life can be organized in very different ways. With no backbone, their anatomy departs sharply from the body plans many people are familiar with. They are classified as cephalopods, a class of animals that includes squid, nautiluses and cuttlefish.

Octopuses can rapidly change the color and texture of their skin, manipulate objects with remarkable dexterity, and navigate environments that demand both flexibility and control. Scientists study these traits because they offer insight into how perception, movement and problem-solving evolved in invertebrates.

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Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is the Content Manager at Live Science. Formerly, she was the Content Manager at Space.com and before that the Science Communicator at JILA, a physics research institute. Kenna is also a book author, with her upcoming book 'Octopus X' scheduled for release in spring of 2027. Her beats include physics, health, environmental science, technology, AI, animal intelligence, corvids, and cephalopods.

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