Does an octopus have feelings and a soul? Sy Montgomery certainly thinks so.
Montgomery packed the Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church with over 250 people for the eighth and final Monadnock Lyceum of 2016. The Hancock author stood at the pulpit on Sunday afternoon, musing about her experiences with nature’s most “alien” creatures.
“I wanted to meet the mind of a mollusk,” said Montgomery, of her desire to interact with a giant Pacific octopus named Athena. “She changed my life forever.”
Much of Montgomery’s discussion delved into her interactions with Athena, of the New England Aquarium in Boston. Montgomery opened on the first time Athena touched her with a tentacle.
“I knew she wasn’t afraid because she turned white, which means she was relaxed,” said Montgomery. “Not only was she touching me, she was tasting me.”
Montgomery, a National Book Award finalist, was a fact book of all things octopuses, diving into facts both wonderful and strange.
For example, there are over 250 species of octopus, ranging in size from a gram to over 100 pounds. Even more spectacular: octopuses are extremely intelligent.
Montgomery said that the New England Aquarium had special toys designed for the octopuses in order to work their minds. The toys were groups of Plexiglass boxes, each with their own lock.
“The octopus would have to figure out how to open the lock to get inside,” said Montgomery, who said a crab was placed in the box as a prize. “Every octopus figured it out.”
While Montgomery grew excited over the intelligence and other attributes of octopuses, she marveled over the personal connection she was able to experience with Athena up until her death.
“I don’t know what she thought about me, but I know she recognized me and enjoyed my company,” said Montgomery.
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com.