Octopus bimaculoides Activity Depends on Who Their Neighbor is

Octopuses are generally considered solitary and asocial, though many exceptions have been documented. As such, little data exists to assess the relationship between the cognitive sophistication of octopuses and their social capacities (i.e., the social brain theory). We found that laboratory-housed Octopus bimaculoides were more active, and more of their activity occurred in proximity to a neighboring tank when housed in social situations similar to their natural habitation (i.e., continuous presence of a neighboring octopus with ample resources), compared to when housed alone. In addition, we found that these effects further varied based on the identity of the neighboring octopus, even when accounting for familiarity and weight differences. These findings suggest that octopus sociality may be more flexible than previously believed, and that their social capacities may include individual recognition and/or dyad-specific relationship dynamics. Future work should investigate to what extent flexible sociality is part of their rich behavioral repertoires.