Wildlife at MahaRaja! A rare octopus mating video
by Maha MG
The ocean has plenty of magic moments for those exploring its wonders. The mating of this octopus right under our main jetty was one of these moments, which we were lucky enough to catch.
Before watching the video below, check out some weird fun facts about this octopus:
Male and female octopus better think twice before mating, as both of them die! The male few months after mating and the female right after the eggs hatch. It means that the few of thousands of new born octopuses will never get to know their parents! We did not forget to say a warm goodbye to the octopuses after this video and are looking forward welcoming the new borns.
The male octopus better think even more than twice before mating, as the female octopus has some carnivore tendencies. It can happen that right after mating, the female will try to hold on to the male to eat him!! You can see an unsuccessful attempt of this at the end of the video.
The male octopus injects its sperm into the female eggs using his third arm. Sometimes, when the eggs are not ready to get fertilized, the male octopus detaches his third arm and leaves it to the female to use it at the appropriate time. In this video, the third arm seems to reach its goal and there is no need to go to the 'detachable penis' strategy.
Octopuses are among the most unsocial marine animals out there. They live almost their whole life alone - except during mating season when they become quite romantic. Octopuses are among the only sea creatures to mate face-to-face and to hold each other tight.
Enjoy the video! Isn't nature fascinating!!! 😊