Question: Tell me more about octopus intelligence. How are they smart? How are they dumb? Are they social? Are other sea dwellers other than dolphins smart too?- Alex H, Atlanta

Answer: As I noted when answering a question about shark intelligence last year, “how smart is this animal” depends on how you measure intelligence. And while an octopus can’t do rocket science, they (and many other ocean animals) have some pretty incredible abilities and behaviors. As a shark biologist I’m contractually obligated to roll my eyes whenever anyone asks about bottlenose dolphins, but if you promise not to tell anyone, I’ll admit that I think it’s pretty cool that they use tools to help them avoid injury while they forage for food. That said, I am happy to note that sea otters, which are not commonly thought of as being especially brilliant creatures, having been using tools for far longer than dolphins. And animals like orcas have complex social rituals which vary between orca pods, also knows as culture. But those are all mammals, which have relatively large (and relatively complex) brains.

You also asked about octopuses (and the plural here is indeed octopuses, so save your hate mail). These animals are not only not mammals, they aren’t even vertebrates, so their intelligence seems especially noteworthy. Their brains are so remarkable that they may replace mice as a model organism for neurobiology research. Like bottlenose dolphins, octopuses can use tools, too. And they can solve puzzles, including opening jars. They can even recognize individual humans.

Perhaps most remarkably, octopuses have an incredible ability to learn new skills, facilitated by their large and complex brains. They’re so smart that the government of the United Kingdom recently recognized them as sentient beings, which sounds astounding but is mostly a legal term that protects them from animal cruelty the same way mammals are protected. Most octopuses are not especially social, but at least one species is.

How “smart” marine animals are depends on how you define smart, but many species are capable of incredible feats that just wouldn’t be possible if they were mindless.

Ask a Marine Biologist is a monthly column where Dr. David Shiffman answers your questions about the underwater world. Topics are chosen from reader-submitted queries as well as data from common internet searches. If you have a question you’d like answered in a future Ask a Marine Biologist column, or if you have a question about the answer given in this column, email Shiffman at [email protected] with subject line “Ask a marine biologist.”

Dr. David Shiffman is a marine conservation biologist specializing in the ecology and conservation of sharks. An award-winning public science educator, David has spoken to thousands of people around the world about marine biology and conservation and has bylines with the Washington Post, Scientific American, New Scientist, Gizmodo and more. Follow him on @WhySharksMatter on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, where he’s always happy to answer any questions about sharks.

The views expressed in this article are those of David Shiffman, and not necessarily the views Scuba Diving magazine.