When thinking of intelligent animals, dolphins and elephants may be the first to come to mind. However, researchers have observed octopuses to be startlingly brilliant creatures. Octopuses have displayed curious behavior, such as pulling out loose tank valves, opening jars, and escaping their tanks when no one was watching. In 2010, a German octopus named Paul was even said to have correctly predicted the outcome of all seven of Germany’s games during the South African World Cup. Octopuses, of which the earth is home to about 300 distinct species, are cephalopods, and have exceptionally large brains for non-mammals. According to Jennifer Mather, a comparative psychologist at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, the quality that makes octopuses smart is their ability to apply learned information. For example, when given a mussel and a clam to eat, the octopus chose the mussel as they are easier to open. However, when offered clams on the half-shell, the octopus pivoted away from mussels– deciding to go with the new simplified option. These creatures proved capable of complex problem solving. When opening the shells, octopuses employed a variety of techniques, such as chipping away at the shell and injecting the clam with poison to weaken the mollusk, and even using their salivary papilla to drill a hole and inject the toxin. The octopuses chose which strategy to use based on which species they were presented with, and altered their approach to what would work best. As humans, this makes sense to us, but most animals would simply repeat the same technique, despite receiving the same results. Which of the following best summarizes paragraph 2?
A. Octopuses are brilliant creatures, due largely in part to their ability to identify a mussel as easier to eat than a clam.
B. Octopuses use their salivary papilla to drill holes and inject toxins when consuming mollusks.
C. One of the best examples of the intelligence of octopuses is their ability to apply learned information and adjust to the most appropriate strategy when solving a problem.
D. Simple animals employ the same techniques repeatedly, but octopuses are creative innovators.
Therefore, the Correct Answer is C.