Results for “how many brains does an octopus have” · retrieved September 22, 2026
Octopuses are often described as having nine brains: one central brain in the head and eight mini-brains, or ganglia, located in their arms.
An octopus has one central brain located in its head and eight clusters of nerve cells, known as ganglia, located at the base of each arm. These arm ganglia are often referred to as mini-brains or satellite brains because they can process sensory information and coordinate movement independently of the central brain. This distributed architecture allows the octopus to perform complex tasks, such as searching for food or navigating, while the central brain focuses on higher-level decision-making. The entire system is integrated and communicates through a neural ring.
Answer details
Central Brain
The central brain is located between the eyes and handles higher-level decision-making and overall coordination.
Satellite Brains
Each of the eight arms contains a dense network of neural circuitry, including ganglia, which act as local sensorimotor integration centers.
Distributed Intelligence
The arms can process sensory input like touch and taste and control movement independently without constant input from the central brain.
Integrated System
Despite the nickname, it is one integrated nervous system where the central brain and arm ganglia communicate to coordinate actions.
Sources 8
About this answerEvolution of cephalopod nervous systems
The brain of Octopus vulgaris is estimated to comprise approximately 500 million neurons — six times the number in the mouse brain. Of these, approximately 200 million are located in the optic lobes and the central supraesophageal and subesophageal masses. The remaining 300 million neurons are distributed throughout the axial nerve cords in the arms, which lie at the center of each arm. The neurons in the axial nerve cords are both within and bet
October 1, 2023
The Unique Nervous System of Octopuses: Their Nine Brains Explained - A-Z Animals
Intriguing and incredibly unique, octopuses are cephalopods with three hearts that pump blue blood throughout their eight arms. These intelligent sea creatures have multiple brains — nine, to be exact. In addition to a central brain located between its eyes, an octopus has eight separate clusters of nerve cells, called ganglia, at the base of each of their eight arms. Compared with most invertebrates, octopuses are remarkably intelligent. These c
November 16, 2021
Lessons for Robotics From the Control Architecture of the Octopus
Most of the octopus nervous system exists within its eight arms (Young, 1971) . Down the center of each arm, a nerve cord (known as the arm or axial nerve cord) runs parallel to the suckers, 200-300 of which are staggered down the ventral side of the arm (Young, 1965; Gutfreund et al., 2006) . The nerve cord consists of a dense, continuous network of neural circuitry (neuropil) which projects from a surrounding layer of unipolar nerve cell bodies
July 18, 2022
Nine Brains Are Better Than One: An Octopus' Nervous System
Picture this: Earth has made its first contact with an extraterrestrial species, and, as to be expected, their anatomy and nervous system are entirely different from our own. Rather than having a single brain where all sensory information and motor controls are processed, they have nine brains. Rather than having a rigid skeleton, they have compact arrays of muscle tissue that stiffen and soften when they move, and their many limbs have an infini
April 7, 2021
Explanation Within Arm’s Reach: A Predictive Processing Framework for Single Arm Use in Octopuses
With 500 million neurons-approximately the same number found in dog brains-the octopus nervous system is the largest of all invertebrate nervous systems, and is well within the vertebrate size range (Hochner 2004 ). These neurons are organized into the three hierarchical and autonomous components comprising the nervous system, wherein the peripheral elements function largely independently of the brain. Most of the neurons are found in the PNS, wh
June 1, 2021
What Scientists Know About Consciousness In Octopuses, Which Have 9 Brains
Octopuses have nine brains - one in each tentacle and a central brain in the head....One option is a relative measure of brain to body size. The best-studied species of octopus, Octopus vulgaris, has about 500 million neurons; that's relatively large for its small body size and similar to a starling, rabbit or turkey....Over half of the neurons in Octopus vulgaris, about 300 million, are not in the brain at all, but distributed in “ mini-brains,”
December 27, 2024
How Many Brains Does an Octopus Have?
An octopus has one central brain shaped like a donut around its esophagus. Each arm also contains dense neural circuitry (an axial nerve cord with many ganglia) that we call satellite brains. That’s why people say octopuses have “nine brains.” Each arm can sense, taste, and coordinate movement on its own, while the central brain handles bigger decisions. TLDR: An octopus runs on distributed intelligence, which helps explain their wild problem-sol
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Octopuses keep surprising us - here are eight examples how
Octopuses have blue blood, three hearts and a doughnut-shaped brain. But these aren’t even the most unusual things about them!...Thanks to their nine brains, it seems that octopuses have the benefit of both localised and centralised control over their actions....Octopuses have about as many neurons as a dog – the common octopus, Octopus vulgaris, has around 500 million. About two thirds are in its arms. The rest are in the doughnut-shaped brain,
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