Jealousy. Obsessive stalking. Cross-dressing. Strangulation. Once-in-a-lifetime sex. Just a few words to describe the secret sex lives of octopi. Once thought to be the ocean’s loner, a study at University of California at Berkley has found that they are actually the ocean’s fetishist.
A species of diurnal octopus, Octopus Abdopus aculeatus, found in the waters of northern Sulawesi in Indonesia, has been found to have quite the wild sex life. Males were quite picky in choosing a specific sex partner, whereupon they follow her home and jealously guard her den for days. Any rival that comes too close becomes a victim of strangulation.
Smaller males, unable to get to the female on their own, fool the larger male by cross-dressing. Known as “sneaker” males and found in various species, they camouflage themselves to look like females by hiding their stripes, and then sneak over to the female and mate with her.
Not only is the sex kinky, but its once-in-a-lifetime. It’s not the sex that leads to death, but the octopi can only produce offspring once in their year-long lifespan. And sex with 16 legs involved definitely takes a lot of energy.
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