Cuttlefish... Smarter Than Your Average Bear!

Cuttlefish have been making their rounds in the news this year as they have recently passed the famous marshmallow self control test! In the 1960s, Walter Mischel of Stanford University developed an experiment for children: the kids would be awarded one marshmallow immediately if they wanted, but if they waited (delayed gratification) they would be awarded with more than one.

The same experiment was roughly translated to our bizarre alien friends, and found that they were capable of waiting for a better treat! The sliding doors that contained separate treats (one more favorable than the other) would open at different rates, and whatever treat was chosen, the other treat would be immediately taken away. Through Alex Schnell’s work at Cambridge, we’ve discovered that cuttlefish are capable of understanding delayed gratification! How cool is that?