The Persistence of Memory: Behavioral Analysis and Arm Usage of a 9-Armed Octopus vulgaris named Salvador

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The "Encontros Espresso" (Espresso Get-Togethers) are a format of talks held at IIM with the aim of getting to know each other better, getting to know better the activity that takes place in our center and exploring the world of marine science, encouraging scientific-technical discussion and strengthening links between groups where both research and technical staff can participate to share their work, experiences and results.

These are events designed specifically for our staff, but everyone is welcome to join in via streaming.

This new format will be held monthly, at 10:00 a.m. in the IIM-CSIC Meeting Room and include complimentary coffee ("Espresso") to promote the smooth flow of communication .

The Persistence of Memory: Behavioral Analysis and Arm Usage of a 9-Armed Octopus Vulgaris named Salvador

The current study presents the very first recordings of any living Cephalopod with a fully functional bifurcated arm. To gain insight to the behavioral repertoire and examine patterns of arm usage in the subject, an Octopus vulgaris with branched R1 arm, over 4 months of video footage was quantified using the behavior recording software BORIS. This produced a data frame made up of 6442 events of arm usage within behaviors, which was later transformed into a binomial response matrix of arm usage. When examined within behavioral categories; posterior arms were highly associated to Locomotion behaviors, while anterior arms were more associated to Foraging, Feeding, and Exploratory Behaviors. The anterior arms' association with prey accumulation was weaker than previously described in 8-armed individuals due to compensation by the right-side posterior arms. In earlier videos, the bifurcated arms were used more frequently for actions underneath the body, but this specialization decreased as videos progressed and arms grew, possibly due to the smaller size of the bifurcated arms. Bifurcated and regrown arms were more often used in safe behaviors and less in risky behaviors. These results demonstrate that task distribution and functionality among arms may have a decisional or cognitive basis rather than serving as a byproduct of arm mechanics and further allude to the existence of higher cognitive capabilities such as post-traumatic associated memory, and learning.  

Samuel Ellington Soule

Samuel Ellington Soule is a cephalopod-obsessed marine biologist who was born in Singapore, but moved to Brooklyn, New York where his whole family lives. He completed his Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Marine Biology and Art History at Occidental College in Los Angeles California. After graduating, he stayed in Los Angeles to work in two different marine laboratories. At the Southern California Marine Institute, he spent time as a technician, where he collected marine samples, managed aquarium systems, and educated students about marine species. He also worked as a Field and Laboratory Research Assistant at the Vantuna Research Group, working on various projects related to California’s Kelp Forest Ecosystem, and helping install and plan the largest rocky reef restoration project in southern California. Sam is also a PADI and American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) scuba diving instructor, having spent 4 years working in Saint Martin leading recreational SCUBA courses and teaching marine biology curricula to students, and 2 years in Los Angeles teaching scientific diving courses to fellow researchers. Here in Vigo Sam, spent a short time at ECIMAT in Toralla Island researching the degradation and toxicity of plastic biopolymers with Ricardo Berias. Here at the IIM, Sam was working alongside Jorge Hernández-Urcera to complete his Master of Science (MSc) degree through International Master in Marine Biological Resources (IMBRSea) on Cephalopod life history and behavior.