Apparently this is the year of nonfiction. Of the six books I've read so far in 2025, three of them have been nonfiction which puts me at a 50% nonfiction ratio for the moment. Somehow I doubt that it will continue, however it is interesting to note that outside of when I've been in school (and often when I was), I've never had such a high percentage of nonfiction. My goal is 10% over all. I think it is safe to say I'm making that goal for January.
Secrets of the Octopus is science nonfiction aimed at a broader audience. There are many, many full color pictures and the text is written for someone with only a middle school or high school level of science background. Nevertheless, it describes the various qualities of octopuses (and by extension squid, cuttlefish, and nautiluses) with a fair amount of detail.
Focused research on octopuses is a relatively recent thing. Apparently, scientists working with and writing about octopuses in the 60's and 70's had a hard time getting their work published partially because editors felt there was no interest on work on what was previously characterized as monsters. If you ask me, that would make it more likely that people would be interested in the research but I guess I don't think like a science editor. The other problem earlier researchers had getting their work published was that many of their observations of octopuses flew counter to what people thought they knew about animal life in general and mollusks specifically. Much of it was in a "you have to see it to believe it" kind of vein and underwater pictures and film were difficult to produce.
Because of this, reports of interesting octopus behavior weren't available to the greater community and researchers were often rediscovering things that had already been noted by someone else. In recent years, the number of defined octopus species has exploded and continues to grow. Octopuses regularly show that they have a level of intelligence on par with many of the more intelligent mammals and avians. However, their neurological structure is wildly different than mammals, avians, or reptiles. The brain structure of an octopus is ring shaped and most of their neurons are actually in their tentacles. In fact, an octopus has more neurons in a single tenticle than humans have in their brains. This suggests some interesting things about the way an octopus perceives it's surroundings. It seems like for everything that the scientists have discovered with these creatures, mysteries still abound. For instance, octopuses have the ability to rapidly change the color and texture of their skin. They can go from a stark white to brilliantly pattern designed to blend in with nearby coral. Researchers are convinced it is a conscious decision on the part of the octopus. Yet their eyes are completely incapable of perceiving color. So how are they matching their surroundings so perfectly including colors.
It's fascinating.
Interspersed with technical descriptions of octopus anatomy are narratives of various scientists and their experiences over lifetimes of working with the creatures. The author shares several of her own experiences working with live octopuses. Many scientist have reported experiences that suggest that octopuses recognize individual humans and display something like affection for certain individuals.
Cool stuff. I'm going to be tracking down Sy Montgomery's other book: The Soul of an Octopus. I can easily recommend this volume to just about anyone. It's less than 200 pages and full of pictures, so give it a try.
I'm leaving with a link to a video below. Scientists have put a lot of work into studying the octopuses camouflage abilities. Much of it comes down to specialized cells called chromatophores. The scientists in the video ran an experiment where they connected the skin nerves of a dead squid to a modified ipod playing a Cypress Hill track. The chromatophores of the skin respond to the electrical pulses of the music in rhythmic patters. It's pretty cool
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