Poster 27: I investigated how vision and chemosensation interact to guide predatory behavior in the octopus (Octopus bimaculoides). Previous studies have described the visual system of Octopus species, including the processing of polarized light by the octopus eye and the functionality of the optic lobes (Dilly et al., 1963; Talbot et al., 2011). Although chemosensation in octopuses has been less thoroughly investigated, recent studies have shown that O. bimaculoides demonstrate a positive chemotaxic response to chemicals released by certain prey (Fry, 2011). In the present study, adult octopuses were presented with a stoppered glass jar containing live prey, an empty glass jar coated with a chemical stimulus (herring oil), or a glass jar that contained a crab and was coated with the chemical stimulus. In each trial, latency to approach and attempts to open the jar were recorded. Studying the behavioral implications of visual, chemosensory, and motor systems integration provides important information about the sensory systems of invertebrates.
