Octopuses' unique morphology, specifically their flexible and redundant eight arms, contributes to their diverse behavior repertoire. Arm abnormalities, often resulting from loss and regeneration, are rare and have limited documentation. Limited research on octopuses' arm usage, mainly in controlled laboratory environments with octopuses possessing eight arms, has led to speculative assumptions about behavioral changes caused by arm abnormalities. This study presents the first-ever videos of a living cephalopod with a fully functional bifurcated R1 arm in the wild. Behavioral analysis using RDAs and GLMs aimed to investigate the impact of the bifurcated arm on behavior, compare its usage to normal arms, and examine changes during growth. Analysis revealed a strong association between posterior arms and locomotion and anterior arms with foraging and exploration. Association was not as pronounced as previously described, potentially due to compensatory mechanisms. The videos initially showed specialized use of the bifurcated arm for actions below the body, which decreased as the arms grew. Bifurcated and regrown arms were utilized more in safe behaviors. These results suggest that functionality among arms may be influenced by cognition, rather than solely arm mechanics, while also implying the presence of advanced cognitive capabilities like post-traumatic associated memory and learning.
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