How intelligent are octopuses?

They have more neurons than most mammals and can escape seemingly impossible enclosures.

The answer

Octopuses possess around 500 million neurons, with roughly two-thirds distributed across their eight arms, allowing each arm to act semi-independently. They have been observed unscrewing jars from the inside, navigating complex mazes, and even escaping securely sealed aquariums. Their intelligence is remarkable because it evolved completely independently from vertebrate intelligence, making them a striking example of convergent evolution in cognitive ability.

Source: Marine Biology Review

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