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We know that almost all animals fight -- for food, for territory, for mates. The octopus is no different,
and knowing their fighting behavior could help us better understand these fascinating creatures and
how they interact. My friend Ilya has been observing the classic fighting behavior between California
two-spot octopuses.

Ilya Chugunov: Most people think that it's "octopi," but that's actually incorrect. The correct plurals are
either "octopuses" or "octopodes" if you want to be very Greek about it.

GG: So how do you do your experiment?

IC: First, I like to set up the chamber just so it's ready, so I get a jug of water, I aerate it by shaking the
jug. It seems that if the water is well-aerated, they're a lot more active. This gives the octopuses some
room to breathe. I get the first octopus -- Here, buddy. Here, pal. Put it in, set up my GoPro, put the
second octopus in, cover it up and leave it alone.

(Bell ringing)

Greg Gage: The octopus is a rather strange-looking animal that exhibits amazingly complex behaviors.
They have the most impressive nervous system in the entire invertebrate world. They have about a half
a billion neurons that are distributed throughout their body, such that two-thirds of the neurons are
actually in its legs. Now mix this in with camouflaging cells, jet propulsion and a razor-sharp beak, and
you have all the makings of a formidable predator. And then throw in the fact that the octopus is a
solitary creature, and suddenly, we have ourselves a real cephalopod fight.

(Bell)

approach sideways. The defensive octopus tries to face away from the attacker until it's the critical
moment it knows there's no way to avoid a fight.

GG: Really, the one who's waiting to the last moment is the defensive octopus.

(Bell ringing)

Rule 3: Flash your colors. The aggressor in a fight will quickly and sharply flash bright black on his arms
when he's about to initiate a fight.

(Bell ringing)

GG: Ooh, and already --

IC: We're seeing some action. Looks like they've spotted each other.

GG: Right. So now he's going to come -- He's approaching, but not directly at him.

IC: Yeah, they're like almost completely antiparallel.

GG: And then right there --

IC: Yeah. They contact, and then their arms clash together.

(String music)
GG: So we've taken the first steps in understanding fighting in the octopus. And you might be asking
yourself: Why does this even matter? Well, these types of curiosity-based research questions can often
lead to some unexpected insights and discoveries. We've learned a lot about ourselves from studying
marine animals. Squid have taught us about how our neurons communicate, and the horseshoe crab has
taught us about how our eyes work. So it's not too far of a stretch to say that some of these behaviors
that we're seeing in the California two-spot octopus are similar to ours.