Meanwhile from the sci-fi department, got to mention the Children of Time series by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Hint: they must have
Think it through: If a long lived social octopus species regularly evolved and made civilization that collapsed its species, then the only similar species left would be one that is absurdly solitary and absurdly short lived. Think about it. Evolution is counterintuitive.
Life really is short. If our lifespan were twice or ten times longer, the whole thing would be a different ballgame.
Keeping yourself alive for 40 years. Not a minor victory.
Octopuses will never be able to evolve anything similar to an human societies. To start because they are fiercely solitary and glad to jump to cannibal behavior at the first opportunity. Is a non-social species that will not cooperate with other individuals. This is not a question of how much time you put in the mix. They are a different animal that wants different things than us.
Think it through: If a long lived social octopus species regularly evolved and made civilization that collapsed its species, then the only similar species left would be one that is absurdly solitary and absurdly short lived. Think about it. Evolution is counterintuitive.
You could probably say similar things about early humans.
Cephalopods, on the other side, had never been reported cooperating with other species. We still don't know a lot about many species of course so that could change, but even the squids that are strongly gregarious do it in a lose "save yourself" way.