Once the male argonaut’s copulatory organ is detached, it is believed that the male dies. Watch later. As a biologist, I’ve researched this topic thoroughly and have... Why are Deep Sea Creatures So Weird and Ugly? Octopuses are sea animals famous for their rounded bodies, bulging eyes, and eight long arms. First, a female can suddenly switch from mating to trying to turn the male into dinner, and second, they both become more vulnerable to predators while preoccupied. Over millions and millions of years natural selection, male octopus have evolved creative solutions to mating with potentially cannibalistic females. Males will experience this alone, very soon after mating. The sperm sac may stay inside of the female for many months before she produces any eggs. For octopuses, mating is a pretty subdued affair. They live in all the world’s oceans but are especially abundant in warm, tropical waters. Cannibalistic Sex and a Detachable Penis, How to Use Google Earth to Enhance Your Presentations. However, if it knew just what was waiting for it soon after, it might think twice. Plants and Animals. Octopus mating is accomplished by the male using one of his arms to insert a sperm sac into the female where the sac survives until the eggs are released from the female and fertilized with the sperm outside of the female’s body. 269 Share on Facebook. They have a wide variety of mating habits and I can’t cover them all; but I can explore some of the more intriguing aspects of sex in the world of Cephalopods! Once the adult octopus reaches adulthood, it usually has the urge to mate. They are the first soft-bodied animal found to have erectile tissue. The female then lays her eggs in a hole or under rocks. Male octopuses do reach adulthood earlier, but they may still be too small to mate. The final stage of both the mating process and the octopus’s life cycle is senescence. The males have a host of tricks to survive the mating process. How can Jellies Hunt and Swim without Brains. The female can lay up to 200,000 eggs at once but only about 1/3 survive to adulthood. It may have a secondary function of removing sperm from previous matings with competing males. During courtship both females and males use appearance to find attractive mates. The arm stores up the sperm, and when the male finds a female he wants to mate with, he will detach the arm during the mating process. In most species of octopus, males have an intriguing adaptation; a modified arm for delivering sperm called the hectocotylus. One approach is for the male to find a good spot near the den of one or more females so he can create his own den in a convenient location close by. Male octopuses have a big problem: female octopuses. Hibernation is one of the great mysteries of the animal kingdom. Aside from the fact that male octopus typically dies a few months after mating, the female octopus also dies shortly after their eggs hatch. Only two or three giant Pacific octopus paralarvae will live to reproduce. The male dies a few months afterwards, while female dies shortly after the eggs hatch. Subscribe to our newsletter! The hectocotylus in benthic octopuses is usually the third right arm. Males die within a few months of mating. Tap to unmute. The urge to mate and pass-on genes is a biological imperative and males of many species must often take great risks to successfully mate with a female . repository of data and factual information, How do Octopus Reproduce? THEY LOVE PLAYING WITH TOYS. Her response will indicate if she’s ready and willing to mate. To mate , a male will insert his hectocotylus into the female's mantle cavity and deposit spermatophores (sperm packets). After attaching to the female, the male releases his hectocotylus, which worms its way into the female’s mantle cavity. A few species have fla… He loads his arm with sperm, then detaches it from his body. TAYLOR MAGGIACOMO, NGM STAFF. How do they Survive? Mating in argonauts is very unusual. That's because they're semelparous, which means they reproduce just once before they die. This way the male can stay in the safety of his own den while reaching around the corner with his specialized sex appendage to try and deliver a packet of sperm to a nearby female. SEVEN-ARM OCTOPUS – Read Or Listen To The Article Click Here How Is The Mating Process? Biologist, i ’ ve researched this topic thoroughly and have... Why are Deep creatures... Her from a distance can view them as both mate… and tasty meal the arm features erectile tissue: octopuses. Their gill cavities stockpiled from several mates inside their gill cavities hectocotylus into the female can up... 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