Octopus City Discovered

Scientists have long known that octopuses would create habitats for themselves, or gardens, but a recently discovered colony of 15 octopuses living together shows that they actually build group settlements. This area, near a rocky outcropping off the eastern coast of Australia, has been dubbed Octlantis by the researchers who found it. "The octopuses didn’t just drift toward the same secure-looking outcroppings, though. Once there, they built piles out of shells from scallops, clams, and other animals they ate, then sculpted the piles into dens," Amanda Kolson Hurley writes for CityLab.

Octupus personality and intelligence has long been subject to debate. They've been documented having strong reactions to people and escaping aquariums. "The complex social interactions required to establish a village lend support to the theory that they are much, much smarter than we had ever suspected," Kolson Hurley writes.