Be Like an Octopus— Adapt and Thrive by Katherine Hannibal

African American Scholar Katherine Hannibal writes about octopuses as models for adaptation, intelligence, and sacrifice in the Aquarium's Pacific Currents magazine.

One of the oldest known animals, these majestic creatures have stood the test of time. At 296 million years old, with over 300 species, they have metamorphosed from hardshelled creatures to intelligent organisms. Octopuses can actively edit their genetic makeup, allowing them to quickly adapt to their environments. They are known for their color-changing chromatophores that alter almost instantly to match any new landscape, but their intelligence goes deeper than that. Their whole body is a large neural network that creates a web of understanding and feeling. Studies even show that octopuses are able to learn from past experiences by adapting and creating new outcomes. These intellectual beings also understand the power of sacrificing for something greater than themselves. At the end of their spawning season, both male and female individuals die as they create offspring. They spend the end of their lives furthering and bettering their population. From their neural network to their ability to modify behavior at a moment's notice, ending with the ultimate sacrifice, octopuses can serve as a model for redefining aspects of human society. As an ecologist, I strive to understand the relationships between organisms and their environments. If you listen in on a conversation between two ecologists, you may hear the phrase “everything is connected.” This phrase encapsulates the idea that the world functions as a web, with every decision having an impact on every environment and organism. As a society, we must look to ecosystems and living things to teach us about the ability to coexist, adjust, and reimagine new ways of life. Currently, our world is at a tipping point. Several events this year have served as a catalyst for needed change, with many asking “what happens next?” Recently the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report reiterated the fact that anthropogenic climate change is rapidly affecting the way ecosystems function, threatening our lives as we know them. While this may seem disheartening, we can embrace the mutability of the octopus, reexamining our past behaviors and adapting to create actionable goals to improve the future. The climate crisis needs leaders in both individual and collective change, working together toward a common goal. Anyone can adapt to become an activist with the right tools and a desire to have an impact. Like an octopus swimming across the ocean floor, this work can be tiresome. While swimming, the octopus’s heart stops beating. They may crawl across the seafloor to save energy, taking the phrase “work smarter, not harder” to new levels. While this may seem daunting, octopuses also teach us to adapt to the cards we are dealt using the tools we have around us. Creating a measurable goal for climate change is as simple as identifying the intersection between what you’re good at and what needs to be done. If you are someone who loves to write, try writing to your local and national government officials asking them to pass laws protecting the environment. If you are someone who loves to cook, try creating meals that use low carbon emissions and local products. If you’re an entrepreneur, create a business model that reflects a circular economy, where products are reused in myriad ways rather than thrown away. Now is our chance to learn with the octopuses and rapidly adapt our behavior to sacrifice for the greater good. I, for one, look forward to crawling across the ocean floor, working smarter toward change. I hope you will join us.

Katherine Hannibal is an M.S. candidate in biology at California State University, Northridge, and has a B.S. in marine biology from the University of Rhode Island. After earning a Ph.D., Hannibal's goal is to become an outreach and education director, promoting STEM and environmental awareness to underserved youth.