Octopus Wild

Craig Foster with his octopus teacher
Craig Foster with his octopus teacher

This week we review the hit movie “My Octopus Teacher,” the story about a man who goes diving in a kelp forest off the Western Cape of South Africa, and becomes acquainted with an octopus.   We review the movie with Roger Hanlon, a diving biologist, cephalopod expert and senior scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA.   We discuss the octopus’ elaborate camouflage and complex behavior.  We’ll get some answers to our octopus questions:   Do they dream?   Do they play?   Use tools?   Are octopuses a second form of intelligent life on earth?

You can learn more about the South African sea forest at the Sea Change Project.  You can learn more about octopuses at Roger Hanlon’s research.

Host & Producer:   Jill Sjong
Executive Producer:  Beth Bennett
Engineer:   Sam Fuqua

Listen to the show:

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Author: Jill Sjong

Jill Sjong is a chemist and materials scientist. She is passionate about the outdoors and is an avid rock climber. Jill Sjong is proud to be part of the How on Earth team and has contributed to the show since 2019.

2 thoughts on “Octopus Wild”

  1. This was great! It made me want to see the film, read more about this extraordinary creature, and more about marine biology.

    It was very well presented, by both Jill Sjong, and Roger Hanlon.

    I will listen to it again.
    Thank you, Jill, Roger, and WGNU!

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