Ep 1. Octopus: Making Contact

In this episode of Nature season 38, viewers are taken on a thrilling underwater journey to discover a creature that has long captivated our imaginations – the octopus. But this isn't just any ordinary octopus show; Octopus: Making Contact explores the fascinating and surprisingly intelligent world of these creatures, and delves into the growing understanding of their mind-boggling abilities.

Viewers are introduced to three remarkable octopuses – Athena, Karma and Octavia – and are shown how they navigate their underwater world with remarkable grace and fluidity. However, what's truly remarkable about these creatures is their capacity for problem-solving, curiosity, and their ability to interact with humans.

Octopus: Making Contact showcases some of the most incredible octopus behavior ever filmed. We see as Athena learns how to use a puzzle box to retrieve a hidden treat, and explores the world around her with an insatiable curiosity. Karma, on the other hand, showcases her incredible camouflage abilities, as she molds her body and skin to blend seamlessly into her surroundings to avoid predators. Meanwhile, Octavia demonstrates her incredible social nature, forming bonds with the team of researchers that study her, and even seeking out human affection and touch.

The documentary spotlights how scientists are working to understand the special cognitive abilities of octopuses, and how their problem-solving skills, emotional intelligence, and curiosity mark them as one of the most extraordinary creatures on the planet. We learn about their unique nervous system, which has as many as 500 million neurons, and is distributed throughout their entire body, rather than centralized in their brain like ours. This distributed nervous system allows them to react and adapt to their environments rapidly, and may even contribute to their amazing ability to regenerate limbs.

Throughout the episode, viewers are taken on an immersive underwater adventure, experiencing the ocean world as never before. The stunning underwater photography captures the diverse and vibrant life and reveals the complex system those animals live in. We see as schools of jellyfish gracefully swim while colorful fish dart in and out of rocky outcroppings, and octopuses blend into the landscape with uncanny precision.

Octopus: Making Contact is a fascinating and mesmerizing look into the world of these remarkable creatures. The documentary gives us a closer look into their lives, revealing their intelligence, emotions, and their ability to communicate which are all centered on developing a deeper understanding of these creatures. Overall, viewers will be left with a new-found appreciation for the octopus, as one of the most remarkable creatures that reside in our world's oceans.