They don't live long enough, sadly. If they did, they could easily be the dominant species. Many octopus species have been shown to have the intelligence of a 7 year old. Besides the fact that it's a form of intelligence that evolved completely separate from ours (our last common ancestors didn't have a brain), octopi only live about 3-4 years. Think about that for a moment.

[–] GlassHalfHopeful@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 year ago

Many octopus species have been shown to have the intelligence of a 7 year old

So about as smart of some former presidents. Awesome!

Besides the fact that it’s a form of intelligence that evolved completely separate from ours

Precisely what I was thinking about when I said that in jest. But seriously, they are incredible creatures!