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We don't know for certain because we've never seen them reproduce. But we do know that their digestive system dissolves as they gain their reproductive organs,
by adamjb 6y ago
We don't know for certain because we've never seen them reproduce. But we do know that their digestive system dissolves as they gain their reproductive organs, meaning that they lose the ability to eat once they have gonads so it seems a fairly robust assumption.
- Ecco 6y agoWow, that’s wild. That makes for one tough game of “would you rather”!
- duskwuff 6y agoIt's not an uncommon pattern. Consider salmon, which travel upriver to spawn then die.
- silveroriole 6y agoAnd the female octopus. So intelligent, but after they reproduce they stop eating and die. (Apparently they sometimes eat their mate beforehand, which I didn’t know until now). It seems like such a waste. I count myself lucky that humans don’t follow this pattern!