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Octopussy
17:14:31 07/04/2008
Sex life of octopus revealed
An octopus that’s found off the coast of Indonesia has been exposed as a wild and kinky lover.
Scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, made the discovery after watching Abdopus aculeatus, an octopus the size of an orange with arms up to 25cm long, in the shallow reefs of northern Sulawesi.
In the once-in-a-lifetime mating season – both sexes die once the eggs have hatched – males court the females, either by displaying their virility by flashing stripy body patterns or even masquerading as females. Once they have selected their partner, many jealously guard her den for several days, warding off rivals and even strangling them if necessary.
For males, size matters – the size of the female, that is. “If you’re going to spend time guarding a female, you want to go for the biggest female you can find because she’s going to produce more eggs,” said Professor Roy Caldwell, who co-authored the study.
Octopuses have previously been characterized as ‘unromantic loners’, but this research overturns this. “It is not a unique species of octopus, which suggests others behave this way,” Caldwell added.
Melissa Lennartz-Walker
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