“I think it’s as simple as saying that it’s mathematically efficient,” Kuuspalu says of the newly discovered pattern. If these connections carried sensory and motor signals, they would allow for rapid communication between relatively distant arms.

San Francisco State University biologist Robyn Crook, who was not involved in the new study, says it is interesting and relevant to her work on sensorimotor integration in octopuses, squid and cuttlefish. “It’s not clear yet how the [intramuscular nerve cords] communicate or even if they do send signals across the body over long distances,” she adds. The study authors plan to delve into these questions next.

“We can now approach our anatomical and behavioral studies a bit differently, with more focus on what any one arm is doing in concert with more distant arms in the ring,” says Roger Hanlon, a researcher at the Marine Biological Laboratory and frequent collaborator with Hale’s group. “We are in that intriguing ‘mild state of confusion’ that is simultaneously perplexing and exhilarating when unexpected discoveries are revealed.”