Octopuses have a 'favourite arm' they use to grab prey

Whether it's playing tennis or writing an essay, most people have a preferred hand. Now, a study has shown that despite having eight arms to choose from, octopuses also have favourite appendages. Researchers from the University of Minnesota recorded octopuses attacking various prey, and found they preferred certain arms over others when hunting. The team hopes the findings could be used to develop next-generation, highly manipulative soft robots. 'If we can learn from octopuses, then we can apply that to making an underwater vehicle or soft robot application,' said Dr Trevor Wardill, an author of the study.