My octopus Otto

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Originally Posted by justinl

"They are very intelligent and even get depressed. It's really sad." I agree that they are intelligent but to go so far as to say they are sad is anthropomorphic. There is no proof of octopuses having defined emotions. I won't deny that they have their urges and responses such as "im hungry" or "grrrrr" but emotional responses are a different matter altogether.
but hell, what do i know?

You have a very good question...

Do octopuses get depressed? This is a valid query, as I've read that they may be equal to dogs and cats in intelligence (though the mechanism of this intelligence, is quite different from those of mammals).

I seen a show which indicated that fish have an increased endorphin level after they are caught and before they die, suggesting that they do feel pain when hooked. An Octopus being (I presume) more intelligent than fish, and displaying emotions so vividly with color changes, I would conclude that they can experience a feeling analogous to depression, triggering the pattern of autophagy ("self eating").


Thoughts?