Octopus arms are highly flexible and capable of complex behaviors such as locomotion, probing, and object manipulation, thanks to approximately 100 chemo-tactile suckers that function like combined nose, lips, and tongue.

Octopuses tend to use their front arms more for reaching, tucking, and grasping, while their rear arms are mainly involved in locomotion actions like 'stilt' and 'roll,' with a preference split of about 61% front to 39% rear arm usage.

Recent research in natural habitats shows that octopus arms are extremely flexible and sensory-rich, inspiring the development of soft robots for search, rescue, and medical tasks in confined or hazardous environments.

All parts of an octopus arm can perform all movement types, but some motions are more prevalent in certain regions, indicating a hierarchical and coordinated use of the limbs during natural behaviors.

All eight arms of octopuses can perform a wide range of actions, including shortening, elongating, bending, and twisting, demonstrating their remarkable adaptability.

Multiple arm actions can occur simultaneously on the same or adjacent arms, showcasing complex coordination in octopus behavior.

Researchers identified 12 distinct types of arm motions, with specific regions of each arm specialized for different actions, such as elongation at the base and bending at the tip, highlighting the complex biomechanics involved.

The study reveals a functional partitioning where front arms primarily explore and rear arms support movement, with arms capable of multiple simultaneous actions and coordinated movements across limbs.

These findings deepen our understanding of octopus biology and have implications for neuroscience, animal behavior, and bio-inspired robotics, emphasizing the importance of fieldwork in studying natural behaviors.

Octopuses do not show a preference for right or left arms but use their limbs in a task-specific manner that varies depending on the behavior.

Octopuses spend about 80% of their time in dens, emerging mainly to forage, which makes field observation challenging due to their camouflage and habitat complexity.

Octopus arms are composed of four muscle groups around a central nerve, enabling extreme flexibility and control without bones, facilitating complex movements.