Octopuses Have Learned to Use Mirrors to Find Food

Researchers at Dartmouth College conducted an experiment with the California two‑spot octopus. The mollusks were shown food that they could see only in a mirror. After several training sessions, the octopuses stopped attacking the reflection and began turning toward the real source of food behind the mirror. The accuracy of correct actions reached 73%.

This is significantly above chance level and shows that octopuses are capable of understanding that a mirror reflection is not a separate object but a representation of real space. Until now, this ability had been confidently confirmed only in certain vertebrates (monkeys, dolphins, elephants, magpies).

“We have demonstrated for the first time that an invertebrate can use a mirror as a tool to solve a spatial task,” the authors noted.

The findings expand our understanding of the evolution of intelligence. Octopuses, whose common ancestor with humans lived more than 600 million years ago, independently developed complex cognitive abilities, including elements of self‑awareness and instrumental thinking.

Sources

• Mary Kieseler, Peter Tse et al. Octopuses use mirrors to find hidden food. Current Biology, 2026.
• Press release, Dartmouth College and ScienceDaily (June 5, 2026).