A crew of neurologists, environmentalists and bioengineers on the College of Queensland, in Australia, has discovered that male blue-lined octopuses paralyze women folk previous to mating to keep away from being eaten. Of their learn about printed within the magazine Present Biology, the crowd captured a number of octopus samples and studied their habits and necessary indicators as they mated.
Prior analysis has proven that some male octopuses have advanced a method to stop being eaten through women folk when mating; one species, for instance, has evolved a sperm switch arm to permit itself a long way right through sex. On this new learn about, the analysis crew centered their efforts on blue-lined octopuses. Feminine blue-lined octopuses are a lot higher than the men and feature been recognized to devour their companions after copulation.
The researchers captured a number of female and male specimens and seen them right through mating. They discovered that the men bit the women folk in some way that fairly punctured the aorta, permitting access of a small quantity of poison.
The poison, tetrodotoxin, the similar poison utilized by pufferfish, paralyzed the feminine whilst the male copulated along with her. His efforts persisted till the feminine started to get well. The poison utilized by the male was once made through micro organism that lived in its frame.
Tracking in their necessary indicators right through copulation confirmed that the feminine stopped respiring altogether after 8 mins—now not lengthy sufficient to kill her, however lengthy sufficient to be fixed. Her pores and skin colour additionally paled noticeably and her pupils constricted; all the women folk examined have been not able to reply to brilliant flashes of sunshine or different stimuli. Briefly, all nerve regulate was once misplaced.
The researchers discovered that envenomating the women folk rendered them totally motionless and subsequently not able to take part in copulation, and extra importantly, to the male, not able to motive him hurt later on.
After mating, all women folk lived to put their eggs 3 to 29 days later, even though all of them confirmed proof of the chunk, equivalent to bumps and wounds.
Additional info:
Wen-Sung Chung et al, Blue-lined octopus Hapalochlaena fasciata men envenomate women folk to facilitate copulation, Present Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.01.027
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Male blue-lined octopuses paralyze women folk prior to mating to stop being eaten (2025, March 11)
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