Size matters. . . for octopus females

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Ok, I'm not sure if I should be pleased or not that my friends automatically send me links to stories about octopus courtship.

Apparently "marine biologists studying wild octopuses have found a kinky and violent society of jealous murders, gender subterfuge and once-in-a-lifetime sex." Whoa! Why isn't this a reality TV show already?

Be sure to watch the video - an amusingly dry account of octopus relationships (at least in some species). These males give new meaning to the word "clingy." In addition,

size does matter - but not how you'd think.

"If you're going to spend time guarding a female, you want to go for the biggest female you can find because she's going to produce more eggs," said UC Berkeley biologist Roy Caldwell, who co-wrote the study. "It's basically an investment strategy."

At least one species eschews heroin chic in favor of voluptuousness. I knew I liked cephalopods.

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Some of us human males don't understand heroin chic either. I for one *much* prefer natural women.

And with all this talk of cephalopods, you can probably expect a visit from PZ Myers soon... I'm sure his squiddie sense is tingling...

By Mark, Seattle WA (not verified) on 02 Apr 2008 #permalink