Mattias Krantz developed adapted keys and a “crab elevator” to teach Takoyaki to perform small musical sequences inside the aquarium.
An unusual experiment involving music and animal intelligence caught attention on social media.
The entire process was recorded on video, from the first attempts to the moment the animal played notes and produced a chord.
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The content related to the experience reached more than 119 million views on YouTube, turning Takoyaki into an internet phenomenon.
Experiment put the intelligence of octopuses to the test
The initiative began when Krantz decided to turn a curious idea into a practical test of the animal’s cognitive abilities.
Takoyaki had been rescued from a fish market in South Korea before participating in the experiment.
Octopuses are considered some of the most intelligent animals on the planet.
These cephalopods can solve problems, explore environments, and learn tasks through the association between actions and rewards.
The challenge, in this case, was to get Takoyaki to reproduce notes using an instrument prepared to function underwater.
Initial attempts did not spark interest
The training began with the attempt to bring the octopus’s tentacles closer to the keys.
Different strategies were tested, but none showed satisfactory results during the first sessions.
According to the Pianist site, Krantz used illuminated keys to attract Takoyaki’s attention.
Fake crabs were also hidden inside the piano to stimulate the animal’s curiosity and hunting instinct.
Takoyaki, however, showed little interest in the instrument.
The lack of response led the musician to develop equipment completely adapted to the octopus’s characteristics.
Special Piano Started Releasing Treats
The new piano was designed to offer a reward whenever a key was pressed.
Each correct movement released a small treat, creating a direct relationship between playing the instrument and receiving food.
The first results appeared quickly.
Takoyaki was already able to play two different notes after approximately one week of training.
One of the sessions also ended with an unexpected result.
The octopus pressed more than one key simultaneously and produced a chord accidentally.
The initial progress, however, lost momentum after some time.
Krantz needed to create another mechanism to keep the animal interested in the activity.
“Crab Elevator” Changed the Training
The new invention was named “crab elevator”, an expression translated as “crab elevator.”
A transparent capsule containing a small crab was brought closer whenever Takoyaki pressed new keys.
Each note made the food come a little closer.
Takoyaki gradually began to understand that he needed to perform several actions before reaching the reward.
The new system increased the octopus’s interest and stimulated sequences composed of different notes.
Small melodies began to appear during the sessions documented by the musician.
Evolution Helps Explain Cognitive Abilities
The experiment also highlighted the intelligence developed by octopuses over the course of evolution.
According to the explanation presented by Mattias Krantz and echoed by Revista Galileu, the ancestors of these animals had protective shells.
The loss of this structure left octopuses more vulnerable to predators.
Survival came to depend on sophisticated strategies to hunt, escape threats, and interact with the environment.
This evolutionary pressure contributed to the emergence of cognitive abilities superior to those found in many other marine animals.
Octopuses can solve puzzles, open closed containers, and learn relatively complex tasks.
Takoyaki does not understand music like a human
The experiment does not mean that Takoyaki has developed musical understanding similar to that of a person.
The octopus learned to associate pressing the keys with receiving food.
The association allowed the animal to press different notes and participate in small sequences within the aquarium.
The result, nevertheless, demonstrated how a reward system can be adjusted to the physical and behavioral characteristics of another species.
The entire training is recorded on Mattias Krantz’s YouTube channel.
Did you imagine that an octopus could learn to press keys and participate in a musical performance underwater? Leave your opinion!
