Octopus Hunts Virtual Crabs - Octopus TV Room - Episode 1

Welcome to an all new series on OctolabTV, The Octopus TV Room!
We've fitted one of our experiment tanks with a television and are ready to hear all your wonderful ideas for future episodes.
In our very first episode in the Octopus TV Room, we'll be observing the octopus's hunting skills, speed, and style.
A virtual crab will enter the screen from the left hand side and will end up on the right hand side of the screen, going from one "rocky hideout" to another. As the experiment progresses, we'll be cranking up the speed to see how our octopus copes and how he'll react when he is tasked with catching a super speedy crab he normally would never encounter in the wild. This an observational experiment. We'd love to hear your thoughts and observations.

[@keithallver2450]

Even at x7 speed, it was still able to recognize a crab and reacted instantly to try to grab it. Definitely, a thinking mind. They are such fascinating creatures.

[@dionnedunsmore9996]

Ikr!! I had no idea they were THIS sharp!! 😲👊

[@great-grandmakirk8828]

He seems very clever waiting on the right hand side to try to catch the crab. He really deserved that treat👍🏻👏🏼

[@stacieball977]

My thoughts exactly! Every time he did it, I cheered for him. He clearly caught that crab in the first two trials. He was probably thinking, “When I get out of this room, I’m coming for your a**!”

[@Vidchemy]

He should have been given more than one tiny crab imo

[@NewMessage]

Missing that many meals in a row would make me pretty crabby.

[@jeffjames4064]

You should know I've called the pun police.

[@ShibePizza]

*no pun intended*

[@stacieball977]

😂 This comment deserves a treat. 🦀

[@VeryEvilGM]

If the octopus would've seen an ad, it would've tried to skip it.

[@christopherdiedrich40]

🏆Best!

[@stacieball977]

😂😂😂 Another comment that deserves a treat! 🦀🦀 That’s right. Two full crabs.

[@PheonixArizen]

I like how he went up to the top of the water and tested the surface to see if there was another tank that he could possibly visit =)

[@nicholaibrchner2374]

You can clearly see the frustration and wondering at, where the heck the crab went.

[@DaffneyDalilah]

Octopus learned an important lesson: Just like McDonald’s burgers, what you see on the commercial is always disappointingly smaller in real life.

[@stacieball977]

😄😆😂 Ikr?? He was prob thinking, “WTH, man!”

[@EmpressLilith222]

Lol this was great. He’s like dang these crabs are really getting fitter and faster or I’m getting old :/

[@leonarddement4058]

Talk about fast food huh

[@TroyRubert]

Those crabs stepped in to a higher dimension lol

[@haverhilltablet6169]

It feels like they are teasing the poor octopus.

[@patty7791]

Could he be any cuter?.......Ah, nope! Never thought I’d want to hug an octopus!

[@angeliner59]

He worked out pretty fast that most of them we going too fast for him to catch. Glad you gave him a real one to munch on and to up his confidence in hunting.

[@sandwitch4300]

This is like you see the ice-cream van, grab your money, dash out and just miss him every day for a fortnight and then you just give up and watch through the window.

[@angelaschnelly]

By the time speed x 4 and 5 came by a side eye stare right into the camera and eye roll wouldn't have been uncalled for.

[@jasonblalock4429]

The last time they did an experiment involving a TV, I had my doubts as to whether the Octopus was even perceiving it properly. If nothing else, this experiment clearly demonstrates that the Octopus *does* see a TV screen in much the same way we do.

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Instead of constantly speeding up, why not mix up the speeds? He looked like he was grasping the fact that every few turns the crab would be going faster, which is possibly why - at the last few different speeds - he didn't try for the first couple of runs, like he was timing it. And then hiding where the crab was apparently running to. Smart cookie!

[@tranquilrabies]

I get like this watching Food Network.

[@mookyo9602]

Ok we get it!!! Octopus are badass!!!!! Now let's give him a real crab now!!!😀😁😀🐙✌💜

[@elizabethsnyder_baldonado39]

Bless his/her precious heart!!! I'm praying that this sweet little critter will be safe when it's freed.

[@owenmerrick2377]

I think we figured out how an octopus conveys their version of "WTF!"

[@Jen39x]

Not only waiting at right side but u can be sure he’s trying to get that side of the tank open.

[@sherriviz1055]

Love the music. Really. Good stuff. I got into it.

[@metalashes7050]

Pretty cool that he went for the crab beak first every time even if he was a lil late

[@zenlizard1850]

And even by the 5x speed, the octopus is all "What the f-ing f-k, man!?"

[@ShibePizza]

Suggestion: Make 'Octopus Decides what areas it likes'

[@leonarddement4058]

X4 speed. "Hey! Come back! I wanted dinner!"

[@taty13198]

You should test their light sensitivity by making the space increasingly lighter or darker. AND for the holidays do Christmas lights to see how they react to the different strobe light settings.

[@kempossibleprivateinvestig9998]

Oh no....its all over..😢 Hes addicted to video games!🤣 crab crush!😂

[@Viscount3]

No one's commented on how big the crab is in relation to the octopus. The octopus has a lot of confidence for going for a crab who is only a bit smaller than he is. I saw the end, that baby crab was cute, but it's a morsel for what the octopus really wanted.

[@benjaminbeitz4023]

You should make an octo tank on wheels and put the controls in the tank and see if he learns to go where he wants, make sure you got a kill switch though 😅

[@bryanlasermagiktyler3132]

that would be awesome wouldn't it

[@stacieball977]

🦀: Nyeh, nyeh, nyeh 👅 🐙: *In a calm voice like Hannibal Lechter* ...SOON, Clarice...

[@starschwar]

Experiment suggestion: Use this TV to show Joseph Elayani's footage of a Blanket Octopus, to see how the other species react to such a display.

[@h-Films]

Now Octopus can react to this channel XD

[@CopalFreak]

Question regarding this experiment.. is this behavior driven more by desire for food, or as a predatory reaction? (ie, it it chasing because the crab is running, or is it chasing because it's really hungry?) If octopus has just eaten a big meal, would it still react this way or just kind of ignore them (even the smaller slower ones?)

[@Knightyme]

Going back to the sea and you want to give him confidence with a small crab. In his octo mind its, "I wont bother with the big ones, they have force shields" :P

[@tractor1873]

Clever little Beaties tho..! 😍

[@houseofcards2]

impressive! especially when you see the size of the video crab to the hunter - again, impressive!!!!

[@ellenjampole1905]

I am a marathoner, not Usain Bolt.

[@stacieball977]

Lol 👍🏼

[@KnifeKnut]

He deserved a full size crab at the end.

[@karenahmed4722]

You forgot to mention the name of our star today. Is it Michael?

[@jackiekjono]

I wonder how he would react to art on the tv. Would he try to imitate or blend into it?

[@ravenmorrigana1093]

Maybe in the future, have the crab come from a different location and see if he still spots it. This guy definitely looked like he figured out where it was going to go to by the end. And what about still images? Would they react to a flash card of their prey? Or a cartoon or stuffed crab. Would they still try to eat a giant crab that took up the whole screen, and would they ignore a tiny crab that wouldn't provide enough calories to be worth the effort? Also, if there were rocks in the video with the crab, would the octopus hug the glass like he was trying to hide behind the virtual rocks?

[@vindictivetiger3958]

I hope you gave him a live, tasty crab for all this effort...

[@marounazou8198]

I loved this video!!! It is a super cool video game which keeps the octopus fit and actually improves its hunting skills!

[@heikerosenau1520]

I kinda feel for this poor guy - so much effort yet no success... a bit mean I think! Glad you gave him a treat in the end

[@bionic-tale4313]

Does the octopus eventually realizes that the crabs are fake?

[@marymaryquitecontrary]

I wonder, when they are both in the same water, if the octo can sense the crab before seeing it, giving the octo some lead time that was missing here.

[@argosz8046]

A couple of your old vids showed up in my feed. I'm hooked, lined and sinkered!!! PS would prefer more focus on behaviors that don't require repetitive meanness, which is what I liked in the old videos I watched.

[@erikakoenigsaecker7498]

Does the size of tank make a difference to the reactions it has?

[@paolocalvo1360]

Incredibile!

[@milkyway3455]

Are they able to tell if an event from the past is been recorded and reproduced?

[@tetsuonabiki]

Give the man a real crab at the end at least.

[@helgafalckenberg6635]

Would be nice if the background music would stay in the background... Wonder who of u is responsible for that

[@jacobpaint]

Ok, do it again but leave an oversized remote in there so it can rewind and pause... You might want to leave it a couple of days while it recovers from the concussion though.

[@dottiedavis355]

What reward does the octopus get if he catches the crab?

[@ultimafreak]

a crab duuh

[@alanrogers7090]

When the speed is up at 5 or 6 times normal, does the octopus even recognize that it's a crab, and not just something quick? The crab can not move that fast in real life, after all. I just hope you gave him a treat, (or meal), after all that exercise. He looks a little hungry, and you don't want to see him when he's HUNGRY. He might turn green on you.

[@llchapman1234]

Teasing the oxtopus with faux food seems cruel.

[@purplealice]

That's one frustrated octopus.

[@NimrodFowl]

Hope you gave him a real deal after 😉😃

[@NimrodFowl]

Oh, OK, I see it now. Much smaller crab though 🤭

[@cpsddn9433]

Trop drôle. Juste pas assez rapide.

[@jazgem1083]

Who can downvote this? Makes me mad af

[@HighDefShooter]

I see the point but...?

[@Chasing.The.Red.TheBook]

Doesn't seem very nice, it's bumping it's head on the glass

[@DeniseHedberg66]

That was just mean! Glad you gave him a treat in the end!

[@anondecepticon]

I feel like this channel has abandoned its behavioral science methodology in favor of something more akin to a kid finding an octopus on the beach and poking it with a stick to see what it does. The only difference is you guys record it and upload the video to KZbin for the views. It’s really unsavory. Did you have to alter your approach because of the coronavirus, or did you just run out of funding and/or ideas?

[@katemaxwell2804]

It was fascinating at the start but a little sad when you sped up the video. A little mean, and frustrating for the octopus just to satisfy human curiosity.

[@leexingha]

they should've inserted an eel to see if they will react differently

[@NoizyInSeattle]

Poor octopus

[@user-xb7dp4vu3r]

Poor crab, this is bullshit 😠😠😠

[@GoatZilla]

Rudy don't watch TV all day, it will rot your brains out.

[@violetlove1893]

I love to watch how intelligent the octopus is but i don't think it's nice to tease it. I normally click the like button right away but it's sad to see the octopus get teased with "possible" meal.. I feel bad for the octopus.

[@keatonblackman472]

Try Not To Tease The Octopus That Will Make The Octopus Annoyed

[@user-vn7ce5ig1z]

This was pretty cruel, teasing him like that. 😕

[@cooperastro2690]

That was my thought also

[@dionnedunsmore9996]

@@cooperastro2690 me too😵💔

[@IslandGirlKelly]

I agree. The recent videos have really torn me up a bit. One was a viewer request. It was absolute rubbish. I may unsubscribe to be honest.

[@cooperastro2690]

@Octolab TV

[@Sacbl1]

Poor octopus :(

[@miribmakesitbetter5269]

I really hope the octopus got some actual food after being teased for so long with virtual crabs. That was kinda cruel to tease the poor thing like that.

[@Leanne_Carter]

Didn't you see the of this video clip?

[@miribmakesitbetter5269]

@@Leanne_Carter I saw it after I posted the comment. I still feel bad for the poor thing.

[@josephknurek7795]

let him go, its torture what you are doing.

[@user-xb7dp4vu3r]

I didn't like the last video and I don't like this one. THIS IS CRUEL!

[@MauriceTarantulas]

You big girls blouse!

[@catherinebreitfeller669]

This is what humans do best. 😡😡

[@meganheartswell]

It's a TV screen. The octopus was rewarded at the end. Other than the crab who was the food I don't see anything wrong with it.

[@marounazou8198]

I have to agree with Megan here...This video was hilarious, it was like a video game designed for an octopus!!! Nothing cruel about it...Even the live crab at the end, this would have also happened in nature

[@dionnedunsmore9996]

@@catherinebreitfeller669 i hear that! 💔😵

[@EveryRealGamer]

This is torture put him in the wild

[@dionnedunsmore9996]

Whats he get when he catches it? 💔😵A mouthful of nothing? Smh ugh idt im down w this one Nah... I dont like this experiment. Feels like hes being teased this time. Im not cool w this 😬💔

[@Markone99]

The editing of this video is the worst...

[@chowe9]

I don't enjoy watching the octopus continually smacking into the glass

[@djim6665]

Poor Octopus , you 'll gonna make it crazy with all of your experiences!!!! be damn!! stupid person !! and let it be free and live his life!!! as you can live your own life free!! .!..

[@kimcall397]

That is torture.

[@phi-ws8mz]

Totally not fair. Not nice to tease the octopuses.

[@rodee1671]

Cruel.