8 arms, 1 piano! Clever octopus learns to 'play' keyboard to get treats

In a bizarre yet fascinating experiment, Swedish musician Mattias Krantz has taught an octopus named Takoyaki to play the piano. Yes, you read that right – an octopus! Krantz, known for his eccentric musical projects, rescued Takoyaki from a live fish market and set out to test the cephalopod's musical abilities.

"I've always wanted to teach an animal piano," Krantz explained on YouTube. "In theory, octopuses have incredible potential. They're as smart as a three-year-old, amazing problem-solvers, and each of their eight arms has its own mini brain. It's like having eight pianists in one body."

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A post shared by Mattias Krantz (@mattiasyoutube)

The clip also shared on Instagram has garnered 22.7 million views so far.

Krantz tried various teaching methods, including light-up keys and fake crabs hidden inside the instrument. However, it was a custom-built "octopus piano" that did the trick. The piano is designed to reward Takoyaki with a tasty treat every time he presses a key.

Even though it took Krantz six months to teach the octopus, the clever cephalopod quickly learned to associate the action with the reward.

Krantz's experiment has attracted thousands of fans on Instagram and YouTube. "No one would believe me if this wasn't recorded," Krantz said, chuckling.

American media personality, businesswoman and socialite Paris Hilton was among many to react to the video.