In news that only confirms what we all suspected about octopuses being eerily complex and likely running secret underwater book clubs, a team of scientists has discovered that these bafflingly intelligent cephalopods go through two distinct sleep stages, one of which bears a suspicious resemblance to REM sleep in humans. Yes, the creatures that can break out of jars and hold grudges are also potentially dreaming, perhaps of crabs they once knew or more sophisticated escape plans.
Published in the journal Nature, the study observed the nocturnal habits of the octopus species Octopus laqueus and revealed a predictable cycle of quiet sleep followed by a more flamboyant brand of slumber involving dramatic color changes, twitchy arms, and eye movements. Scientists helpfully refer to this as “active sleep,” though to any casual observer it might resemble an eight-armed attempt at interpretive dance while dreaming of jazz hands.
“The alternation between quiet and active sleep resembles the REM and non-REM sleep cycles in mammals,” said neurobiologist Sidarta Ribeiro, co-author of the study, who did not confirm whether octopuses dream in black and white or in an unrelenting kaleidoscope of psychedelic hues.
The research involved spending a great deal of time watching octopuses nap which, while not everyone’s idea of a riveting Friday night, turned out to be surprisingly illuminating. During active sleep, the octopuses’ skin would flare with rapidly shifting patterns, something that could be a neurological throwback to hunting tactics or possibly just part of a nightly talent show held quietly in the aquarium.
This discovery edges the octopus even closer to the elite ranks of animals with highly complex nervous systems and raises provocative questions about the nature of consciousness, intelligence and whether shrimp-flavored dreams count as science. It also opens potential lines of research into how learning and memory are processed in animals that look like frowning umbrellas but routinely outperform lab rats in problem-solving tasks.
In summary, not only can octopuses unscrew jars, impersonate seaweed, and collapse their boneless forms into thimble-sized holes but now we learn they have sleep cycles suspiciously similar to ours. At this point, it might be time to stop calling them “The Aliens of the Sea” and start referring to them as “The Sleepy Honor Students of the Deep.”
If they ever invent underwater espresso, we’re going to be in real trouble.