Octopuses can taste everything they touch with their arms.

Wacky WorldAnimals & Nature

Each of an octopus’s eight arms is lined with hundreds of mobile suckers. Neurobiological research published in Cell (2020) by Harvard University scientists revealed that suckers contain specialized chemotactile receptors on sensory cells. These receptors detect poorly soluble molecules (such as fish mucus or crab pheromones) directly upon contact, meaning the octopus tastes and evaluates prey texture, chemical safety, and nutrition simply by probing underwater crevices before ever bringing food to its central beak.

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