The future could belong to the humble octopus, says a leading scientist.

They are said to possess the physical and mental attributes necessary to evolve into the next civilisation-builders.

Professor Tim Coulson, of the University of Oxford, said the eight-limbed marine invertebrates possess “dexterity, curiosity, the ability to communicate and supreme intelligence” .

This rich skillset could one day create complex tools to build a vast undersea civilisation.

And although the octopus is unlikely to develop into a full land animal, it is clever enough to extend the 30 minutes it can live out of water to develop new hunting methods, he says.

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Prof Coulson, a top zoologist, said the cephalopods were in “pole position” to colonise the should humanity vanish due to war or climate change. Primates, long thought the successor to humans, would also become extinct, he said.

Mr Coulson said octopuses could eventually learn to hunt on land. He told The ­European magazine: “Their ability to solve complex problems, manipulate objects and camouflage themselves [means] they could evolve into a civilisation-building species.”

He added: “Their advanced neural structure, decentralized nervous system, and remarkable problem-solving make ­octopuses uniquely suited for an ­unpredictable world.

“Their ability to adapt provides a blueprint for what might emerge as the next ­intelligent species after humans.”