This Octopus Was Trained by Sony to Take Pictures of Aquarium Visitors
Octopuses are known to be very intelligent creatures, but one octopus over in New Zealand has one upped its peers by becoming the world’s first octopus to be trained as a photographer.
Here’s a video showing Rambo’s skills as a photographer:
Rambo was given access to a Sony TX30 compact camera that was placed outside her tank and attached to a red shutter button extension. Rambo was then trained to press the shutter with a tentacle to take pictures of visitors standing in front of a special backdrop.
Here are a few of the photographs Rambo shot during a visit from primary school students:
The aquarium charged $2 for portraits captured by Rambo, with proceeds going toward the organization’s conservation programs.
“When we first tried to get her to take a photo, it only took three attempts for her to understand the process,” trainer Mark Vette tells Cult of Mac. “That’s faster than a dog. Actually it’s faster than a human in some instances.”
Update on 4/20/15: Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how the Octopus was trained to take pictures:
