The first full genome sequencing of an octopus has revealed that octopuses are very different from all other animals.
Furthermore, their genome has 33,000 protein-coding genes identified. This is more than humans.
According to the Metro:
US researcher Dr Clifton Ragsdale, from the University of Chicago, said: “The octopus appears to be utterly different from all other animals, even other molluscs, with its eight prehensile arms, its large brain and its clever problem-solving abilities.”
The researchers found unique genetic traits likely to have played a role in the evolution of characteristics of octopuses. Examples would be their complex nervous system and camouflage abilities.
Co-author Caroline Albertin noted that the octopus genome was shuffled as though it had been “put into a blender and mixed”.