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Cited by 46Cephalopods and Marine BiologyTactile and Sensory InteractionsSoft Robotics and Applications

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 14 of the 14 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Tactile Discrimination of Surface Curvature and Shape by the Octopus

Wells, M. J.·1964·Journal of Experimental Biology
DOI 10.1242/jeb.41.2.433
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Abstract

ABSTRACT Experiments are described in which octopuses were trained to discriminate by touch between pairs of Perspex cylinders of different diameter. The proportion of errors made in experiments with thirteen different pairs of cylinders shows that octopuses distinguish cylinders on a basis of the difference in their surface curvature. Curvature is detected from the degree of distortion of individual suckers. The bend of the arm or arms grasping an object can be shown to be irrelevant by using composite cylinders built up from narrower rods. These are treated as being of the diameter of their components. Having been trained to take the larger and reject the smaller of two cylinders, octopuses tested with rough and smooth objects of the same size reject the rough and accept the smooth. Apparently the sensory input produced by contact with an object having a rough surface is similar to that produced by bending the suckers round a smooth curve of narrow radius. The discrimination of cubes and spheres, which appears to be based on sucker distortion at the corners of the cube, is upset by cutting grooves into the surfaces of the two objects. These findings are discussed in relation to the anatomy of the sense organs in the suckers. The development of two parallel mechanosensory systems, one related exclusively to the local adjustment of muscle tension, the other more concerned with the animal’s relations to its external environment and hence involved in learned responses, is common to the organization of cephalopods and vertebrates.

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Crossref · 10.1242/jeb.41.2.433

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14 of 14 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Citations

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Show all 14 references

Research works printed but not linked: 6

  1. Beidler, 1961, The mechanism of gustatory and olfactory receptor stimulation
  2. Merton, 1964, Mammalian joint and muscle sense, Symp. Sac. Exp. Biol, 18
  3. Ten Cate, 1928, Contribution à l’innervation des ventouses chez Octopus vulgaris, Arch nier I. Physiol, 13, 407
  4. Watkinson, 1909, Untersuchungen über die sogenannten Geruchsorgane der Cephalopoden, Jena. Z. Naturw, 37, 353
  5. Wells, 1964, Shape discrimination by Octopus
  6. Wells, 1956, Tactile discrimination and the behaviour of blind Octopus, Pubbl. Staz. zool. Napoli, 28, 94

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Metadata

Authors
Wells, M. J.
Affiliations
University of Cambridge (GB)
Corresponding author
Wells, M. J.
ORCID
Wells, M. J.
Venue
Journal of Experimental Biology
Publisher
The Company of Biologists
Published
1964-06-01
Volume
41
Issue
2
Pages
433-445
ISSN
  • 0022-0949 (ISSN-L)
  • 1477-9145
DOI
10.1242/jeb.41.2.433
OpenAlex
W2109431685
Cited by
46
References
14
Citations by year
2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 1
FWCI
10.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.biologists.com/user-licence-1-1/ (vor)
Locations
Journal of Experimental Biology (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Cephalopods and Marine Biology
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Tactile and Sensory Interactions
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Soft Robotics and Applications
Keywords
octopus, tactile discrimination, surface curvature, shape discrimination, suckers, mechanosensing, object size discrimination, surface texture, learned behavior

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