On a trip to the west coast during the month of June 1999 I visited an aquarium and spent a bit of time watching the pictured rather rambunctious octopus. One of the attendants told me he/she was a real challenge. The octopus escaped several times from his tank. After each escape the aquarium personnel would try a new locking device for the tank. The octopus would observe them each time the latch was secured and figure out how to open it during the night when the staff was absent. I thought about their curious challenge several times after leaving the aquarium and wondered if a combination lock would stop the denizen of the deep. Apparently from the linked article juvenile octopi are often troublesome. As an aside a Park Ranger in Denali Park Alaska told me the same thing about grizzlies. The juvenile bears are the ones that will approach you for no reason just to check you out. Perhaps we can give our juvenile kids a little slack since it appears nature hard wires curiosity and exploration into the genes of some immature life forms; I am hoping to mature soon – Ron
