Category: Invertebrates
“Water bears” or “moss piglets” are tiny (~0.5 mm), aquatic, segmented animals that are able to withstand extreme environmental conditions – including temperatures that are exceedingly low (almost absolute zero) and high (well over water’s boiling point), extreme pressure, high doses of ionizing radiation, and the vacuum of outer space! They can also survive without food or water for over ten years and then resume foraging and reproducing upon rehydration. Around 1,150 species have been described, and tardigrades can be found almost everywhere in the world, though they are most abundant in moist environments.
Cephalopods: Masterminds of the Ocean.
Octopi, cuttlefish, and squids - all cephalopods - have been observed engaging in amazing feats of intelligence (perhaps unsurprising, as cuttlefish and octopuses have the highest brain-to-body mass of all invertebrates). Their suction-cup covered arms are dexterous, and octopuses have been observed putting them to use throwing rocks, opening screw-top jars, even picking up and gathering coconut shells to build fortresses for themselves. Squids, for their part, have been observed hunting cooperatively and are able to communicate with one another via color changes, patterns, and flashing to one another - sometimes using different sides of their bodies to broadcast different signals to multiple squids! Just how smart are they? As they are typically elusive and so very different from humans, we aren’t sure yet - but we do know the question is not “Are they intelligent?” but “How intelligent are they?”
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