In 2010, a friend sent me some beautiful cowrie shells from Hawaii. I noticed that a few specimens had tiny pin holes between the teeth on the underside of the cowrie shell.  I asked him what caused this and he stated an octopus. So I decided to test this, I collected a small octopus and placed it in aquarium with no other marine life in the tank. I placed only live cowrie shells in the tank to see if this octopus would eat the mollusks.  I was completely surprised to find out that he was 100% correct. The tiny drill holes are difficult to see without a magnifying glass. Strangely, two of the cowrie shells had a drill hole on the top and another on the bottom side. The other eight specimens only had one drill hole on the bottom side. Is it possible that the octopus learned a new behavior?  Did it it figure out the most efficient way after the two previous attempts? All octopuses have a two-part beak used to immobilize and feed on their prey. The beak looks fragile but it one of the toughest and most durable substances made by marine animals. My curiosity led me to the questions below Why does the octopus have to drill a hole when there is already a large aperture to feed from?  Does the octopus use venom to paralyze the mollusk inside the shell after it drills the hole? If so, does the venom narcotize the mollusk which could allow the octopus to suck out the animal from the shell aperture like a shotgunning effect? Have you ever wondered how the Okinawans catch small octopuses?  Below is a colorful handmade lure made from cone shells and beads.  I found it years ago at Awase flats. My Mission: To Protect and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands for Future Generations

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