FAQ
A contribution of The Cephalopod Page
| Question: |
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Dr. Wood, Since I'm sure you love answering all these octopus questions, I'll keep this short. I just gave a presentation on Eledone dofleini and of all the information I came across, I wasn't able to find info about one particular subject: "Why do octopuses die after mating?" What's the mechanism here - chemical, physical exhaustion, or some type of evolutionary holdover? Jason Hill |
| Answer: |
| Jason,
The mechanism is chemical - you should be able to find information on octopus optic glands and their control of lifespan. As mammals we tend to think that their reproductive strategy is inefficient. That assumption is often wrong - by reproducing once and dying you can commit more resources to reproduction and can produce more offspring sooner - both of these raise fitness. Of course, fitness is lowered by the loss of any future reproduction. See: Lifespan; why so short? Dr. James Wood |