Strange sex life of octopus

They flirt, hold hands and watch the lover very strictly. The love life of octopus is far more complicated than one can imagine, said the research team at the University of California, USA.

The group dived into the Indonesian waters to watch Abdopus aculeatus octopus with a body as big as an orange and arms 20-25 cm long. Octopuses are often evasive and active at night, so their behavior is still not well understood.

"Every day in the water we learn a new thing about octopus life," said Christine Huffard at Monterey Aquarium Research Institute in California, USA. "We quickly realized that Abdopus aculeatus octopus broke all the rules we know about, doing almost the opposite of what we have concluded in aquatic studies."

They saw males guarding their partner's whereabouts for a few days, chasing the enemy and even attacking if the enemy came too close. Small males can find ways to approach females by swimming close to the ground in a female manner and not showing masculine brown stripes.

Two octopus mating with each other.(Photo: Reuters)

In this species, size also plays an important role."If you take the time to watch your partner, you will want to choose the biggest girls because she will lay out more eggs. It is also an investment strategy," said biologist Roy Caldwell.

Once sexually mature, they often mate several times a day. Males have specially designed arms to send sperm bags to their children. She will rest in her lair and lay out tens of thousands of eggs. After a few months, both parents will die, so that the offspring can take care of themselves.