Well an octopus is very intelligent. I have seen videos of them changing color and texture to mimic a rock with coral. I have seen them use objects like tools. I have seen a video of one who had learned to walk around with two coconut halves. If attacked, this octopus would pull the two halves together with itself inside. The tenticles were so strong that it would be very hard for most creatures to pry the coconut open to get to the octopus.

I have seen videos of octopus learning to get to a piece of food inside a jar or in a hard to reach place.



I think these creatures are very smart and we don't know exactly the limits of what they think. Maybe they think with pictures in their minds. When I try to remember what it was like as a very young child, I remember feeling a lot of emotion. I knew if I was sad or happy. If I wanted something I remember looking at it and imaginging how to get it. It is hard to remember a time when I didn't think with words "I am going to push that chair over and climb up and get that." But I if I try, I can kind of imagine what it was like. Instead of thinking "I am going to stack some things up until I can reach that." I would instead just kind of see myself doing that, or there was just this sudden awareness that it would work. It was thinking without words. It was a sort of knowing. And once I learned to do something, I remembered it.



I think that is how it is with the octopus. They may learn a new trick by experimentation with how their bodies move objects around. Then later they just know from experience that it is going to work.



So the octopus might not think "I am going to use all my tenticles to open this jar. I have to twist the cap part to the left to get it open." But it just kind of experiments first and then later it just knows. So when it goes to do that again, it may remember or it may see pictures in it's mind.



I don't think it has words for things like a human. But I think it does have a way of transmitting information to another creature. Some skin colors may mean it is scared or feels threatened, or it is content, or it is ready to fight, or it is aroused.

And one octopus may watch another in motion and maybe it will see a new trick that it will mimic.

The other octopus may not be actively trying to teach a new trick, but we can never tell what it is thinking. Maybe they do have a way to show each other new things, or maybe it just happens if they mimic each other.



If there were a way to teach the concept of a written language or symbolism to an octopus, maybe there would be a way they could communicate more with us or each other. It seems like it might be possible for them to at least associate some symbols with a food reward.

If there were a way to teach them new concepts with symbols, maybe they could learn to spell something out for us.