The Octopus at Play: novelty-seeking analysis and play behavior in O. bimaculoides

What constitutes a behavior as play, and do octopuses experience it? Octopuses are often colloquially regarded as a "smart" species, yet their cognition is not fully understood. In learning behavioral trends many species exhibit, we can begin to discern certain actions as play. However, due to the lack of research in generalized octopus behavior, play and tactile exploration have not yet been fully explored in Octopus bimaculoides. This study examines whether these octopuses exhibit criteria for play behavior, if they are reactive to photoperiods (daytime and nighttime), and if their working memory is sensitive to novel object recognition tasks. Prior research argues that octopuses prefer certain shapes, textures, and novel objects. While a prior study suggests octopuses may be nocturnal, this study yielded significant results for diurnal, tactile play behavior, as well as tentative individual preferences in textures and shapes. This study cannot significantly argue that octopuses prefer novel objects, but future research with a larger sample size may be able to assess these findings further.