Free Main Idea & Supporting Details - The Clever Octopus (Grades 4-5)

The Clever Octopus

Octopuses are some of the most intelligent creatures in the ocean. Scientists have discovered that these soft-bodied animals can solve problems, use tools, and even escape from enclosed spaces.

In laboratory experiments, octopuses have learned to open screw-top jars to reach food inside. They watch, twist, and pull until the lid comes off. Some octopuses figure this out on their very first try. Researchers at a university in New Zealand once observed an octopus unscrew a jar in under a minute.

Octopuses also use tools in the wild. The veined octopus, found in the waters near Indonesia, collects coconut shell halves from the ocean floor. It carries them from place to place and later assembles them into a shelter. Scientists consider this true tool use because the octopus plans ahead — it picks up the shells before it needs them.

Perhaps the most famous example of octopus intelligence involves escaping. Aquarium workers around the world have reported octopuses squeezing through tiny gaps in their tanks, crawling across floors, and even climbing into other tanks to eat fish. Because an octopus has no bones, it can fit through any opening large enough for its beak — the only hard part of its body.

These remarkable behaviors show that intelligence is not limited to animals with large brains. An octopus brain is about the size of a walnut, yet it is powerful enough to solve puzzles, plan ahead, and outsmart its surroundings.