Hmm - Which Hand should I Use?

Life is simple for us human beings - we either prefer doing all our work with our left hand or right hand. But what happens if you are an octopus and have eight hands to choose from - do you use all your hands or do you still have one or two that you like more?

That's what scientists are trying to find out in a month-long study that began on July 7th at all the Sea Life Centers across Europe.

Twenty-five octopuses have been given an assortment of toys - like balls, Lego's and even the infamous Rubik's Cube, to see if they have any favorite tentacles they use to pick up objects or if they are octidextrous - i.e. have no preference.

Scientists are counting on visitors to the centers to help out with the study. A diagram of the octopus has been placed next to the exhibit, and the four arms on the right have been labeled R1, R2, R3 & R4, while the four on the left have been named similarly, but with an L at the beginning.

Researchers believe that these intelligent creatures tend to favor one arm. If that is true, then researchers can help them by feeding them on their favorite side. By doing this they hope to reduce the stress levels of these creatures, which tends to be high especially in captivity. The results will be compiled and analyzed by scientists at the Sea Life Centers and released in early autumn.

Since octopuses are also very intelligent animals, we wonder if they will be able to solve the Rubik's Cube, which still remains elusive to most of us, almost 28 years after it's invention!

Sources: DailyMail.Co.UK, Telegraph