Do Octopuses Mean to Deceive?

"Many animals use deception to get what they want. Most of these sneaky tactics are instinctual; however, a few creatures engage in tactical deception: They adapt their tricks depending on their goal or audience. Tactical deception involves some sophisticated cognition, and research on the phenomenon often focuses on primates or brainy birds like corvids. Recently, scientists suggested that a different group of animals may be ideal for the study of tactical deception: cephalopods."

"Deception involves conveying misinformation in order to mislead others, but not all forms require higher cognition. Many deceptive behaviors are genetically determined, such as harmless butterflies evolving to resemble toxic ones. "Tactical deception, by contrast, is flexible, context dependent, and shaped by the deceiver's assessment of an audience," says Elias Garcia-Pelegrin, an animal behaviorist at the National University of Singapore and a co-author of the new paper."

"For instance, researchers have observed chimpanzees taking advantage of moments when others are distracted to access food or resources. Jays provide another example: They will move, and sometimes pretend to move, their hidden caches of food when they notice other jays watching them. "These cases suggest that the animal is considering what others can see, know, or do," says Garcia-Pelegrin."

Many animals use deception to obtain resources, often through genetically hard-wired strategies like harmless butterflies resembling toxic species. Tactical deception is flexible, context-dependent, and involves assessing an audience, requiring higher cognitive processes linked to Theory of Mind. Chimpanzees exploit others' distraction to access food; jays move or pretend to move caches when watched. Research has focused on primates and corvids, but cephalopods such as octopuses, cuttlefish, and squids show impressive cognitive abilities and behaviors that may constitute tactical deception, making them promising subjects for study.

Read at Psychology Today