In the nooks and crannies of Pulau Hantu, little octopuses (or should it be octopi?) emerge from their hidey holes under the cover of moonlight to prowl and prey on small creatures. They are the bane of small crabs and shrimp, which they seek by plunging their arms into promising cavities in the sand and surrounding rubble, where rows of suckers are ready to grasp any yummy morsel and bring it to the octopus's beak for a fatal bite. At times, they spread themselves out, enveloping a targeted crevice with a net of tentacles that prevent escape by the unfortunate quarry.
Remarkably unabashed in the predawn dark, these spineless sea monsters readily display their prowess in tentacle porn prepostprocessing, changing colours with blinking speed to match their surrounding tone. Be it earthly shades or mottled madness, this skill is thought to play some role in predator avoidance, although octopuses also employ other defensive tactics such as jets of ink, mimicking fishes or displaying bold and disruptive patterns that shock a foe into technicolour submission. Many researchers reckon octopuses to be the most intelligent of invertebrates, crediting them with the ability to play, solve problems and play a mean cover of Jimi Hendrix's Star-Spangled Banner use tools. They even get bored. And according to this article (click to download a pdf), sleep is an indicator of intelligence and octopuses are said to do some serious dozing. The most likely reason these cephalopods haven't taken over the world is their short life-span (some imagine a future where they join their shelled cousins on land though); they die shortly after mating (the males) and when the female succumbs to starvation while guarding her eggs. Now, if only humans adopted such a reproduction strategy....
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