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Octopus populations have been booming in the past 60 years to the point where some marine
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biologists even call them "the weeds of the sea."
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Their main purpose in life is to breed and make babies, but the way they do that is real
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weird.
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Check out this Facebook video we made to
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see how... octopuses? Do the dirty.
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The octopus has 8 tentacles
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And in the male, one of those tentacles is also
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a penis, well, sort of
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This is the hectocotylus
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A specialized mating arm, with a groove that runs along tentacle
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carrying packets of sperm to be distributed from the tip
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Should that special moment arrive
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Most octopuses live solitary, antisocial lives,
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hunting and scavenging for food along ocean floor.
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However, when the time arises, they mate in a very intimate way.
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The male must deposit its sperm into a hole in the female's mantle
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a hole that she uses to breathe and expel waste
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Or as Aristotle romantically described: "the Nostril of the Female."
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In a vast and sparse ocean, the opportunity to procreate is rare
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and for most octopus species, it will be the last thing they ever do
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because for male octopuses, the prospect of mating is a dangerous one.
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You see, the female is often larger, hungrier, oh, and cannibal
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So, in order to protect himself, he must make a careful and considered approach
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For longer armed octopuses, the move of choice is The Reach
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To keep their distance from the cannibal female
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the male will stretch his mating arm as long as possible,
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keeping the distance while he copulates.
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Some species will even wait until the female is foraging for food
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and therefore too preoccupied to eat them
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And some species have evolved beyond "the reach"
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More cautious males will simply detach their mating arm and give them to the female.
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The hectocotylus will stay intact in the female's mantle until the female is ready for fertilization
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Once the copulation is complete, the octopuses' life mission is complete
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Both male and female will experience a dementia-like state of being after mating called: senescence.
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The male will experience this alone.
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They do not eat or return to their dens, and will eventually die from their weakened state.
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The female will devote the rest of her days to her eggs
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ensuring that her thousands of offspring hatch before dying of exhaustion.
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This unconventional courtship will create 56,000 eggs.
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And because the yield is stable, only 2 will survive to maturity
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Pretty crazy right? Those poor little guys. If you
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wanna know more about how animals get it on, check out our series “Wild Sex” on Seeker’s
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Facebook page, Seeker Media.
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In the meantime, if you’re curious what happened after ancient humans and neanderthals
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had sex, watch this video here.
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Are there any other weird animals you want to know more about?
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Let us know down in the comments, be sure to subscribe if you haven't already and
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thanks for watching Seeker!