Reflexive pronouns...

Question

I'm starting to hate them. I understand them but I have a hard time grasping when to use them. In Learn Spanish 3.8 there are 2 example sentences.

1. El pulpo camino lentamente.

2. La langosta se esconde cuidadosamente

I can understand that the octopus walks slowly and that the lobster hides itself carefully. Is it possible to just say "The lobster hides carefully" - La langosta esconde cuidadosamente.

If it is possible to say it both ways, why would one be used over the other?

And why doesn't the octopus walk itself slowly?

There is another sentence "La medusa me pico (con tilde) gravemente. And this feels completely right to me. - Ada-S, Dec 1, 2011

me pica - in which case that's not a reflexive pronoun because the jelly fish is stinging you - the one doing the action of the verb (the jelly fish) is not also receiving the action (the jelly fish is not receiving the sting - you are) - Kiwi-Girl, Dec 1, 2011

Answer 1

The pronoun used reflexively helps you to understand that the lobster is hiding himself and not anything else because it is also common to hide 'a thing' as well as being able to hide 'yourself'.

Btw with the octopus walking it should be camina - it walks, not camino - I walk.