Skip To Content

    Severed Octopus Arms Can Live On Their Own For A Really Long Time And I'm Shook

    Nope nope nope nope nope.

    Hello. Hi. You're all familiar with the octopus, yes?

    These be-tentacled sea creatures are known for being super smart and also — let's face it — mildly creepy.

    Occasionally they've predicted the winner of things like the World Cup.

    And people sometimes eat them, even when they are reallllllly FRESH.

    But! Did you know that octopus tentacles LIVE ON even after you've cut them off an octopus body?

    EXQUEEEEEZE ME?

    UH YEAH. According to Katherine Harmon, who's writing a book on octopuses, their "arms can continue reacting to stimuli even after they are no longer connected to the main brain" FOR UP TO AN HOUR.

    So in other words, octopus tentacles can continue to flex, move, and respond to the world around them even when they're detached from an octopus brain, because they FEEL FEAR.

    Alsooooo, severed octopus limbs will attempt to grab food and bring it to their phantom mouths as a REFLEX.

    Imagine if severed human limbs did that.