Three Animals

A short tour of the framework

Dogs have been our companions for 15,000 years.

They were the first domesticated animal. Every breed alive today descends from wolves that chose to hang around human campfires.

A dog's sense of smell is extraordinary — up to 100,000 times more sensitive than a human's. They can detect diseases, find people under rubble, and know you had cheese for lunch.

Every dog is a good dog.

But they can't look up.

This is a myth from Shaun of the Dead. Dogs can absolutely look up. Try it with a treat.

We don't deserve dogs.
The internet, unanimously

Cats domesticated themselves.

Around 10,000 years ago, wildcats moved into grain stores to hunt mice.

Humans tolerated them. Cats tolerated humans. Neither side has fully committed since.

Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.

Octopuses have three hearts and blue blood.

Two hearts pump blood to the gills. One pumps it to the body. When an octopus swims, the main heart stops — which is why they prefer crawling.

They also have nine brains — a central brain and one mini-brain in each arm, which can taste, touch, and make decisions independently.

Inky the Octopus

National Aquarium of New Zealand, 2016

Inky was a common New Zealand octopus who became world-famous after escaping his tank at the National Aquarium. He squeezed through a gap in his enclosure, crossed the floor, and slid down a drainpipe to the ocean.

Staff found only a trail of suction-cup marks. He was never seen again.

Not actually Inky

An octopus spreading its arms on a coral reef — **The common octopus** Photo by albert kok — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

**The blue-ringed octopus** Extremely venomous, extremely small

**The mimic octopus** Can impersonate lionfish, flatfish, and sea snakes

**The giant Pacific octopus** Arm span up to 6 metres

Thank you.