You know what they say: one man’s trash is another octopus's home.

When it comes to finding shelter, octopuses can be impressively inventive, and since they're frequently on the move, new abodes are needed pretty often. The malleable molluscs prefer small, dark spaces they can squeeze into – and if a nice rocky crevice isn't available, they're happy to settle for the next best thing. Sometimes, the next best thing is a flip-flop.

After pausing to examine a spoon, the tiny veined octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus) in this video, which was posted to YouTube by The Jetlagged, took a liking to some discarded footwear. The display of cephalopod craftiness might be amusing, but the clip is also a sad reminder of where our discarded beach junk often winds up. 

While this is the first flip-flop fort we've encountered, we're used to seeing octopuses appropriating other objects – prized materials for an underwater wigwam include coconut and sea shells. Our very own "kleptopus" has certainly mastered that one: 

__

Top header image: W. Tipon, Flickr