Why do male octopuses die after mating?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ayla_5678
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ayla_5678

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So I found out that male octopuses (octopie?) die after mating. They have a special "sperm arm" called the hectocotylus, that they use to deposit eggs in the female and then they die within the month. What mechanism causes their death? Does the arm come off like a bee stinger? Is it some sort of organism wide form of apoptosis? I have been unable to locate the answer online. Also, why do you think evolutionarily it would be beneficial for the octopus to die after reproduction once? I know the female octopus dies a few months after the babies are hatched, because of endocrine secretions from optic glands that become activated after breeding. Is there a similar affect from the endocrine system of the male? Thanks for any info or ideas you have!
 
Their reproductive arm falls off, so they die.
Also, it's octopuses or octopodes, NOT octopi.
 
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