Researchers claim that octopuses can control their arms with a segmented nervous system.

The team from the University of Chicago said a large nerve cord runs down each arm, forming a series of segments that allow them to move with extreme dexterity.

Footage shows a mollusc slithering out of a jar in a tank and holding a baseball.

The researchers claim the intricate system inc lask not only controls movement but also creates a spatial map of each sucker, facilitating complex sensory and motor functions.

The study said: 'These suckers, equipped with sensory receptors, can taste and smell objects as octopuses explore their environment, much like combining the functions of a hand, tongue, and nose.'

The researchers compared octopuses' structure with squid, suggesting that the segmented nerve system is specifically evolved for controlling dexterous, sucker-equipped appendages in soft-bodied cephalopods.

They said this segmentation evolved to support the worm-like movements necessary for these creatures to thrive in their environments.