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Cephalopods as a group may be similar in intelligence to vertebrates as a group, and may deserve humane treatment.

About Cephalopods

It is the most complex morphological and behavioral structure of the phylum Mollusca.

Feature

• They are head-and-leg-like, with a ring of arms and/or tentacles around the head. The arms, tentacles, and funnels are all the bases of the legs.
• The movement of cephalopods is accomplished by jet propulsion.
• Diet: All cephalopods are carnivorous. Many are specialized predators, but some feed on floating debris.
• They have a rich blood supply and a variety of organs.
• They have pigmented cells in the epidermis surrounded by cells containing fibers.
• One of the most complex features of most cephalopods is their vision. They can open and close small sacs under their skin that are filled with colors and shapes and display certain colors.
• The Australian Giant Cuttlefish Sepia apama uses chromatophores to communicate, create patterns that attract mates and deter predators.
• This ability may also be useful in hunting; most cephalopods are ambush predators, clinging to or destroying their prey.

This includes the coleoids - cuttlefish, octopuses, and squid - and the chambered nautilus.

Some cephalopods live alone in the endless darkness of the deep sea; others live in harmony on the coral reefs of the day.

Some cephalopods may be capable of complex forms of learning, such as learning to learn - learning to change behavior when different stimuli are presented as rewards.

About Corals

Corals are invertebrate animals belonging to a large group of colourful and fascinating animals called Cnidaria. Other animals in this group that you may have seen in rock pools or on the beach include jelly fish and sea anemones.

Although Cnidarians exhibit a wide variety of colours, shapes and sizes, they all share the same distinguishing characteristics; a simple stomach with a single mouth opening surrounded by stinging tentacles.

Each individual coral animal is called a polyp, and most live in groups of hundreds to thousands of genetically identical polyps that form a ‘colony’.

The colony is formed by a process called budding, which is where the original polyp literally grows copies of itself.

Source:

The Hindu