Personalities and Faces

Keepers report that octopuses have distinct personalities: some are bold, some shy, some quick to lash out. The same individual tends to behave the same way across different situations and days, which is the scientific test for a real temperament.

They also recognize individual people. An octopus may greet the keeper who feeds it differently from the one who cleans the tank. At one facility, an octopus reportedly squirted water at a single specific volunteer and no one else — recognition paired with what looked like a clear dislike.