Giant Maze Experiment - Octopus VS Big Water Labyrinth

Welcome to the Great Octolabyrinth!
Will Thomas, the curious octopus in today’s video, manage to find the exit to the giant water maze? Or will he be trapped in the labyrinth’s complexity?
A maze challenge has been a frequent request from many of our viewers: so we sat down and designed the biggest water labyrinth ever created!
The intelligence of many animals (e.g. hamsters, rats, cats, dogs etc.) has often been evaluated based on their ability to escape from tricky mazes. The Octolabyrinth was meant to test the level of intelligence of our amazing octopus residents.
Our octopus did his best to solve the puzzle and find the exit but he got lost many times in the confusing pathways of our water maze. However, even Theseus would have been trapped in the labyrinth if it was not for Ariadne’s helpful ball of thread. We therefore decided to offer our octopus a helping hand by adding pictures of animals he would normally avoid at every dead end to guide him through the giant maze.
Thomas always seemed to enjoy swimming around the maze and showed no sign of distress during this great maze challenge.

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Was it just me or did he go pale when he saw at least some of the images, as if he were trying to blend in with the white background? It's fascinating watching these little creatures. They may be small but they're so smart.

[@SoRePeSi]

I saw it too

[@rachaelhewlett1534]

All seems cruel to me, it's time the channel was shut down.

[@cormorant12]

@@rachaelhewlett1534 Octopuses constantly encounter predators in the wild, if it made an octopus a nervous wreck they would hardly survive for long. He wasn't even chased or approached by any of them. See predator - avoid predator - go on with your life is how animals operate.

[@rachaelhewlett1534]

@@cormorant12 Put them back in the wild where they belong instead of getting them to perform mindless tasks in barren tanks for your fun.

[@luckyblockyoshi]

@@rachaelhewlett1534 they were born captive, wouldn't survive in the wild. Besides, these tasks are all good for the octopus and they like it too - they need stimuli or they'll literally die of boredom (refuse to eat or even eat themselves) if you care about octopi so much, go help shut down ssoyoung's channel. They're doing ACTUAL animal abuse by torturing and killing live animals.

[@bloodreaver6097]

So it was like a horror maze experience for the octopus with all the "predator" images and stuff

[@Jekyll_Brownie]

I almost suffucated 😂😂😂 lol poor thing

[@rachaelhewlett1534]

Animal cruelty, just set them free or put them in a suitably equipped aquarium and leave them in peace.

[@GoingtoHecq]

It's a real hunted house

[@wwigo]

Rachael Hewlett octopuses actually enjoy challenges

[@rachaelhewlett1534]

@@wwigo How did you determine that?

[@thedukeofweasels6870]

This is probably really good enrichment for him because avoiding predators to find safety is natural behavior

[@telmesomethinidk]

i didnt know they had good vision like that

[@trygveplaustrum4634]

Humans need markers to remember where they are. I would likely be almost, if not just as, confused if all the walls were that same pasty white, with very little distinction.

[@wreckitremy]

I was thinking the same. Took forever to get out of the corn maze I went to in October

[@SA-121]

All you need to do with this labyrinth is to turn always left or always right...

[@Silver19897]

On its second pass through, the octopus moved fairly quickly until it came upon the pictures. It could be because it was remembering its initial trip.

[@clubsport9334]

Hope he/she got some tasty treats after that.

[@geohar4292]

Did it ink or poop @3'25" lol LET'S GO PULPO, LET'S GO!

[@Rafael-oq9vu]

hope he didn't

[@markmcknight2467]

Club Sport Me too! Maybe some delicious 🦀 🐟 🐠!

[@serapkaratas2149]

Maybe Fish?

[@rynzoku8662]

Rafael bro how come people like you still exist .-.

[@joncrane7661]

Maybe thomas wasn't trying to leave the labyrinth the first time he toured. A new place can be exciting.

[@rachaelhewlett1534]

Octopods are extremely shy and nervous, I hardly think the animal found it exciting.

[@luckyblockyoshi]

@@rachaelhewlett1534 oh, you clearly don't know much about octopuses or worked with them before...

[@georgwisniewski4118]

@@rachaelhewlett1534 , it's rather imprecise to make blanket statements regarding octopuses personalities, it has been observed they can have different demeanors, preferences and behaviors from one another - very much like humans have different personalities. Still, several of them have been shown to be playful in the most human sense of the word, like throwing a toy ball around, catching it and throwing it again. While it is not impossible that an octopus could feel nervous in that kind of environment, I hold my doubts that this one did. I don't have much experience interpreting their body-language, much less this one's. Still, I do worry about the ethics of the second stage of this particular experiment.

[@MikkanDoisRTE]

Guys your effort making that labyrinth was incredible! Thank you for making this things in order to entertain us and show us how amazing octopuses can be

[@erinpoulson2032]

Um, actually it's pronounced octopi. 🤓

[@BigU1033]

The dislike is from the labyrinth

[@markmcknight2467]

What a beautiful creature, oozing around this labyrinth, checking out every single feature with his/her intelligent, curious eyes.

[@mediawolf1]

First of all, wow. That's amazing. And second, it would be interesting to put him in there a second time, without the photos. He now knows there's a nice dark place to get to, and may have some recollection of the route. Great test of his memory abilities.

[@amandastout1948]

He sees the predators, and is like "I'm a rock, I'm a rock, I'm drifting, drifting...whew!"

[@Silver19897]

The second time around it seemed to move with a lot more confidence before it got to the pictures, then immediately slowed down and started to camouflage upon noticing a potential predator as it moved out of its line of sight.

[@joy941]

The maze is shaped the words ‘OCTOLABTV’. Nice!

[@Shaden0040]

INterresting to note that the octopus left a bit of ink when it lassed the moray eels picture. The only predator it did that to.

[@shadycactus6146]

i was wondering what was up with that - i thought maybe he pooped or something lol

[@sandysani6045]

Poor dear, he kept bumping into the walls!

[@ConnieFaye]

I think he inked a little at that Moray eel picture. Thank you for this.

[@catfishcave379]

I would try it again but instead of predators, either put photos of corals, or a single color, or something land based, like trees or buildings. This was fascinating to see how he moves from above and with such clarity. I could watch the initial 45 minute test in its entirety. It would be fun to have rocks and things along the way and see how much he ventures out from his nest. What is the height of the maze? Thank you for a wonderful video.

[@riphopfer5816]

That was fantastic! I'm never disappointed with their incredible cleverness. Thomas seems like a particularly charming little chap, too.

[@cosmo9290]

Very inelegant creatures, but I hope he wasn't too frightened by the experience 🙈🙉🙊

[@jaxonmurtagh3265]

I have a potential video idea here. So I am relatively new to the channel so pls forgive me if you have already tested this out but i have always wondered about the sense of smell of the octopus and haven't seen any tests about it so here goes: Put three cups in the tank with only one containing food, if it goes to the one with the food then you know that there sense of smell isn't just limited to the range of their suction cups. And when you repeat the experiment you could change the colour of the cups so it's isn't just going to the same coloured one. Thx for reading! Oh and great vid as always

[@rachaelhewlett1534]

Better still put it in the sea where it belongs.

[@jaxonmurtagh3265]

@@rachaelhewlett1534 oxtopuses live much longer when they are not in the wild and don't have to fear death every minute of their ived

[@rachaelhewlett1534]

@@jaxonmurtagh3265 How does their longevity in captivity address the point I made that the animals should be set free?

[@jaxonmurtagh3265]

@@rachaelhewlett1534 why ask me ask octolab

[@rachaelhewlett1534]

@@jaxonmurtagh3265 because you were the one who made the statement.

[@anitababacsi]

It's amazing. Many thanks for the video. ❤️️🐙❤️️🐙❤️️

[@AGDinCA]

I wonder if he would remember the path without the pictures...

[@UrBaNMCPaladinZ]

no

[@AGDinCA]

@@UrBaNMCPaladinZ Oh, has it been tested? I'm not too knowledgeable on cephalopod memory skills.

[@UrBaNMCPaladinZ]

@@AGDinCA Never mind, I misinterpreted your question. They tested it without the pictures but you probably ment a second run. My bad

[@AGDinCA]

@@UrBaNMCPaladinZ Oh, that's OK. Sometimes it is so difficult to interpret what is actually being said online. Happens to me all the time! Still an interesting question though, right? 😁

[@Noble4Truths]

Can he remember the path without those pictures?

[@v3le]

yeah, but he wouldn't want to get his a** out

[@HalfShelli]

That’s what I was wondering. Like, maybe remove a few of the pictures at a time? (He’d still have the motivation to finish the maze, because the dark “cave” at the end is, for octopuses, like what a little kid would consider a super awesome fort. But if additional enticements were needed, add a few of his favorite snacks!)

[@trygveplaustrum4634]

Oh what fascinating minds octopuses have.

[@jenniferloving9054]

Love watching these intelligent, graceful creatures.

[@MultiHunterOne]

When he was avoiding the eel he even shot a blob of ink. Awesome.

[@CopalFreak]

How many times was Thomas put in the maze? In the beginning, did he react to every one of the pictures, avoiding them as expected? If you added a photo of something Thomas likes, would do you think would his reaction be to that photo, versus the others?

[@rachaelhewlett1534]

Better still set the animal free instead of constantly getting it to perform mindless tasks for your fun.

[@fixt100]

@@rachaelhewlett1534 or educate 6000 people that they may not be food?

[@sunnysunchan]

@@rachaelhewlett1534 But octopuses LIKE challenges and stimuli. They get bored and stressed without them.

[@rachaelhewlett1534]

@@sunnysunchan How did you determine that?

[@sunnysunchan]

@@rachaelhewlett1534 I came to this video after watching Animalogic's video on octopuses and it mentioned that they can get bored. Of course before I commented I made a quick search to cross-check facts just to be sure. And the California Academy of Sciences has a video on KZbin talking about enrichment for their aquarium octopuses by using toys and puzzles (also mentioned in a National Geographic article). A Google search also lists multiple articles, including on from Wired.com citing a researcher from Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Those are the more notable sources I could find. I'll post all the links below :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYTRaHaAZciBkJY kzbin.info/www/bejne/aGW8aWiqqd2joa8 www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/04/150416-octopus-photographer-animal-intelligence-aquarium-ocean-science/ www.wired.com/2016/04/inky-octopus-escape-is-it-ok-to-cage-your-octopus/

[@bionic-tale4313]

This is interesting that the octopuses are figuring out the maze and exploring it out of curiosity.

[@glowingdawn9179]

3:23 what was that? Does it eject a bait to distract the predator?

[@laneldacaples8070]

Octopoo?

[@sklaus4141]

Lanelda Caples octopoo 😂 that word deserves an award 😂😂😂😂😂

[@briaharris183]

@@sklaus4141 #listenupwebsterADDOCTOPOO2020

[@daphnez4642]

i never thought one day i'll be passionate by octopus but that's exactly what happened

[@screamingmimi90]

Maybe that’s a huge maze or a tiny octopus, or both. Either way, he/she looks tiny! So adorable!❤️🐙

[@theresaholguin699]

He is intelligent more than anyone knows. He is definitely beautiful.

[@herecomestheboi1285]

What a sweet octolad! SO COOL what they can remember!!!

[@MikkanDoisRTE]

This is one of my favourite KZbin channels EVER !!! Octopuses are just amazing 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

[@rachaelhewlett1534]

They are even more amazing in the sea where they belong.

[@teahgurl]

This is why I love octopus 😣

[@qiqi333]

That was amazing! Love how it stopped before the picture to “think” and decided to take the right turn! And your conclusion at the end makes total sense! Thank you for making this cool video!

[@christopherrobyn4416]

He probably thought his entire rogues gallery had placed him in a torture chamber and he narrowly escaped

[@silojm]

You made a haunted house by adding the photos lol

[@twdjt6245]

Didn’t know before now that the giant octopus is a cannibal.

[@leoschue8071]

Man, he was terrified of that hammerhead.

[@adonislimes6156]

The octopus equivalent of a horror house

[@aidanmcferris3004]

I felt bad that they had to see scary pictures! LOL

[@marounazou8198]

Octolabyrinth is simply a piece of art...Congrats to its creators!

[@treborironwolfe978]

I love the way he pauses at certain corners.. Reminds me of playing the original *Legend of Zelda* and looking for hidden walls to bomb for bonus rooms.

[@logandexter5475]

That octopus won’t stop bumping his head

[@denisebethany5691]

He was just having a swim at first, enjoying himself!!!

[@jessicafrench2538]

The octopus is such an amazing critter!

[@laurastewart2094]

That was so cool and he looked so proud of himself after he was done. He definitely lives showing off for the camera doesn't he. Goes to show how intelligent all creatures are in there own way

[@anrhmn]

Seems like someone got more funding lol

[@kohakudragonrose2037]

To everyone worried about the octopus bumping into thing, they do that all the time. They swim backwards so they can't see where they're swimming.

[@janellehoney-badger6525]

I'd love to see this done with a few octopuses, to see if they all make it through. I wonder if a cuttlefish could manage this or any of the other experiments? I'm fascinated by cephalopods, they really blow me away.

[@NewMessage]

Where's Hoggle when you need him?

[@neuralmute]

Plot twist - David Bowie was hiding under that tarp.

[@jodidmorris95]

@@neuralmute If that were so then the octopus would have to fight me to get to him first lol

[@Amccordford]

Or the little blue caterpillar!

[@Kiwi-xb6wh]

After watching some videos I can say that I'm in love with this channel!!! I have also noticed that y'all make a lot of videos based on viewer request, so with that being said I was wondering if y'all could do an octopus room tour seeing as y'all have showcased many different octopuses on the channel.

[@007coleyfoley]

COLEY FOLEY SAYS: THAT'S "VERY INTERESTING, MR. BOND"... HAHAHA!

[@MalaysianTropikfusion]

Gasp! Did he just *fart* in that poor moray eel's face? The audacity! Octopi these days...

[@kaiserredgamer8943]

Octopus: *Sees pic of moray eel, great white shark, giant pacific octopus* Octopus's ears: *Minecraft cave sound*

[@LeCarneAsada]

This is incredible. I love watching intelligent experiments on specific animals and this cured my itch for the night!

[@unwrinkling]

hard to watch when it looks like he's hitting his head on the walls

[@treborironwolfe978]

*"His Motivation"..* I, too, yearn to cross the finish line so I can nestle into a dark den and find some peace.

[@RaivoltG]

It looks so funny to me to see an octopus zooming thru a maze! I love it!! Great video!!

[@Morpheus776]

It looked like in the beginning he was swimming into the walls. The all white backround had nothing to orientate from. The pictures where points of orientation.

[@CuteHalo]

I had the same feeling. It just swam into white walls like it couldn’t see them.

[@tomlegat-parker5099]

Octopuses are colourblind

[@kayumust]

there better be some nice lady octopuss pictures when he finished going past all that horror xP

[@ogrelogre8429]

So, it would seem that the next logical step would be to remove the images and see if he remembers the way through. I'd like to know how that went.

[@valerieromeos9592]

Love watching octolab! Boy I sure hope the little dude got the equivalent of an octosteak for his/her? Gallant efforts! Found it very interesting this was fear driven not reward, would the results differ with food rewards? Pretty obvious fear is a huge motivator!

[@evaweyde6838]

Wow that's is so cool 😄💜

[@joeschmo7145]

What if it thought the predators were dead because they weren't moving? Or about to be eaten so it still avoids them, but still. I wanna see a maze with upper and lower level. Great experiment we learn good stuff here

[@keithmilliken5373]

Love the maze, shows how smart the little rascal is truly. Also, I thought the plural for octopus was octopi ! !

[@diamondangel7539]

You should do this one multiple times to see if it remembers and if it wil straight go to the rewarded area maybe a little timer to id love that

[@debrataylor1813]

Association of danger with a photo, once again, seems a indication of high functioning. Cool!! I wonder if they are self aware?

[@anny3046]

Was there a bit of food or some other reason for him to want to complete the maze??? Or were you just scaring the shit out of him - making him think he was gonna be lunch??? Critters can't read minds ya know. 🐙😱🤔

[@treborironwolfe978]

He was just seeking a cozy, dark, mancave to relax in.

[@TheFirstManticore]

They regularly do "escape" games with the octopuses - put them in something and watch them figure out how to get out. The octopuses seem to like it; they aren't scared or anything. I imagine the idea would be the same with the maze, and if the octopus is used to doing escapes, it will try to escape the maze too, on general principle.

[@DeathDallOfficial]

Make one where there an extra turn in the maze before he sees the pictures, could be interesting

[@Vinvininhk]

Octolabyrinth I hope more people appreciate the word play haha

[@emilysha418]

Clever!

[@LeafyGreenDA]

Octopus are so cool

[@PacificBoysFishandDive]

so fascinating

[@artemmochulskiy7003]

Suuuper,bravo👏👏👏

[@ukaszxyz5689]

awesome job

[@sandywest4299]

i reallly loved this. who would ever thing an octopus was so intellegent. what an amazing Jesus.

[@gefluzafix]

also some things you probably didnt notice. he reacted differently to each of the pictures. like for instance he moved very fast when detecting dolphin in hope they didnt notice, bt moved very slow past the hammerhead because they have serious sensory equipment.

[@octhovenludwigfun2229]

Thanks for the exciting experiment! There were thrill moments for sure. How big is this fella? I'm also curious about if she/he counts as big, medium or small octopus in general. And did she/he get a snack in the end?

[@user-ls7ju2ld4h]

How awesome that the octopus went through this maze in 5 minutes.

[@keatonblackman472]

Amazing Sporting!

[@e.4355]

Looks to me like he was just bouncing off the white walls. When he encountered a photo, he knew there was something there and was able to change direction quickly. Otherwise, it was like he was trying to get home through a blizzard. Very interesting though.

[@auspicious6703]

I think it’s nice for him to just be able to swim that great length without running into a wall like he would in a normal tank. A bit more freedom

[@vainhorizons9584]

Great channel

[@jefftheriault7260]

was also learning symbology (the images of the predators don't move). And another species symbology at that.

[@videogameandfanficrelationchan]

Ears mean sea lion not seal, but same difference to the Octopus. This also made the whole maze fulfill multiple requirements. Study, enrichment, and use of natural behaviours in the face of predators when they could not be harmed in the slightest as they were pictures. But also it allows you to see how the reaction CHANGES depending on if the predator looks like it is looking DOWN or not.

[@nathanmccormack4681]

Your videos are fantastic and I love watching them, but just something to think about, why not put the octopus back into your challenges and see if he remembers how to get out of it? I've seen a few that could have been just by chance and I know these lads are super smart, I'd love to see them take on a challenge they've met before like this maze or the button challenge from a few weeks ago and see if he actually realised the button caused the gate to open and the lights to turn off, just to verify its of his own merit and not by chance, once again seriously interesting videos and I'll be keeping up to date on them, not often someone does what you do!!

[@TheArtisticBiker]

After navigating it once with the horror images, was he able to navigate it again without them? Also, could the horror images be used to communicate yes or no questions?

[@twdjt6245]

Proof that octopuses can read.

[@EarthChampion_TophBeifong]

Would be nice if you put a hand model or a banana to the side to know the actual size of the octopus. I would be pretty sure the bigger the octopus the smarter it is?

[@rachaelhewlett1534]

These are intelligent animals. They are not meant to be made to perform tricks in barren tanks for your entertainment. Either set them free or put them in a suitably equipped aquarium and leave them in peace.

[@luckyblockyoshi]

"leave them in peace. " yeah no. Octopuses need stimuli to live, or they'll die of boredom. Just like humans, they need to have something to do to stay sane.

[@rachaelhewlett1534]

@@luckyblockyoshi How did you determine that?

[@luckyblockyoshi]

@@rachaelhewlett1534 read the countless studies on the subject. A quick google search should do. Although yeah, this particular maze was a bit cruel

[@polarjeez]

Does anyone know what type of octopus are mainly in these vids?

[@Patriotsoul]

What you need is doors. One door has a foe and one has a friend. If the octopus could really discern between the two he would definitely take the rout of the friend.

[@whiteboynse]

3:24 he dropped a deuce so definitely knew to avoid the areas with photos. In 5 minutes WOW. I couldn't have made it out in 30.

[@spiderdoom]

Surprised he didn't try to go over the walls unless there was a glass ceiling I couldn't see...

[@TheFirstManticore]

So, octopuses recognize two-dimensional still pictures? Generally speaking, dogs and cats don't. Some birds seem to. Do you think you could ask an octopus questions? Like a "yes or no" question, using flash cards with the word on it, or good and bad pictures? Parrots can learn to read a little. My daughter taught her parrot "yes" and "no" with flash cards; the bird could understand the questions but couldn't get the idea of saying yes or no. But the flash cards worked perfectly, and it made life easier to be able to ask. Do you want to come out? Do you want this? Do you want this no bite? [When the bird wanted the food I offered but also wanted to bite me - he agreed to take the food without biting.] Do you like the dog? [Yes.] Do you want to bite the dog? [Yes] Non-humans can be smart, but they often don't think the same way we do!

[@trumps-not-rightfor-us5603]

What are the extent of sensory perception of octopi when it comes to sent and site?

[@valw1733]

I love your videos of your sweet little octopuses. Is that his ink at 3:25 ?

[@tily5939]

I was surprised that it reacted to still images. Can they see in color?

[@itol2201]

As weird as this sounds, they cannot see color, but they can detect it.

[@danielavalsangiacomo6691]

I Tol they got 7 color cones in their eyes, we got 3. They see colors we can not.