Exploration, play and habituation in octopuses (Octopus dofleini).

Abstract

The combination of exploration, habituation, and exploratory play was investigated in octopuses (Octopus dofleini). Eight octopuses were given 10 trials to investigate a floating pill bottle. Exploration consisted of palpation of the object with the arms. Habituation was noticeable in the 1st trial but was more complex across trials. Two octopuses appeared to show exploratory play. This play consisted of aiming water jets through the flexible funnel, which caused regular transport of the object to and return by the aquarium intake current. In this situation, the amount of the 3 activities appeared to be minimally correlated. The results raise questions about the course of habituation, the definition and the extent of play, and the relation of exploratory play to exploration in complex animals