• Education
    • Higher Education
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • Online Learning
    • School Reforms
    • Research & Innovation
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Home & Living
    • Relationships & Family
  • Technology & Startups
    • Software & Apps
    • Startup Success Stories
    • Startups & Innovations
    • Tech Regulations
    • Venture Capital
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Gadgets & Devices
    • Industry Analysis
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Today Headline
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
Today Headline
No Result
View All Result
Home Science & Environment

Male Octopuses Stun Females With Venom to Survive Mating, Study Finds : ScienceAlert todayheadline

March 23, 2025
in Science & Environment
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
0
Male Octopuses Stun Females With Venom to Survive Mating, Study Finds
6
SHARES
12
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


The blue-lined octopus (Hapalochlaena fasciata) is only a few centimeters long, yet it may be one of the most dangerous marine animals on Earth.

That’s because, as part of the blue-ringed octopus genus, it’s heavily armed – not just with eight arms, but also with tetrodotoxin (TTX), a potent neurotoxin.


The mantles of female blue-lined octopuses can grow about as big as a golf ball, roughly twice the size of males. This size discrepancy can be life-threatening for a male, whose instinct to mate puts him in danger of being eaten by a much larger female.


According to a new study, however, male blue-lined octopuses have an effective survival tactic. Before attempting to mate, they deliver a precise bite near the female’s aorta, injecting TTX and temporarily paralyzing her.


Many octopus species are sexually dimorphic, with big females who sometimes cannibalize their tiny mates, the study’s authors note. This may favor the survival of males with bodies or behaviors that prevent them from being eaten.


Males of some species have evolved an extra-long hectocotylus, a specialized arm for transferring spermatophores, to keep themselves at a distance from females during mating. Others just detach their hectocotylus, sacrificing it so they can flee.


But male blue-lined octopuses don’t have an elongated mating arm, nor can they shed theirs. They have been seen trying to wrap females in their small arms while mounting them from behind, the authors write, but given the females’ relative strength, it’s unlikely that alone would save them.


Both sexes have TTX in their saliva, which they use to thwart predators and immobilize prey. While males may only grow to half the size of females, however, their posterior salivary glands – where symbiotic bacteria produce TTX – are three times heavier than those of similar-sized females, the researchers report.


This disproportionate enlargement of males’ salivary glands “likely co-evolves between demand for protection/predation and mating,” they write.


 

A/B: Relative sizes of female and male blue-lined octopuses. C/D: Relative sizes of the venom-producing glands between females and males. (Chung et al., Current Biology , 2025)

To learn the males’ survival trick, the researchers placed six pairs of male and female blue-lined octopuses in tanks and observed their mating behavior.


All female octopuses “quickly succumbed to the males while clasped on the mantle,” the researchers write. Pairs remained stationary for about an hour.


Breathing rates while mating varied dramatically by sex. Males started at 20 to 25 mantle contractions per minute when resting, then increased to between 35 and 45 contractions per minute during copulation, the researchers report.


Females, on the other hand, experienced a sharp drop in breathing rate when mating began, the study found. They then stopped breathing altogether after about eight minutes, although none died.


While in this condition, females turned pale and their pupils constricted, losing all reflexes to bright flashes of light. It looked like loss of nerve control, the researchers explain, which happens in tetrodotoxin envenomation.


“Once the females were immobilized, the males successfully copulated, and mating ended when the females regained control of their arms and pushed the males off,” the researchers write.


Afterward, the researchers found one or two small, swollen lumps at the backs of the female octopuses’ heads, near the aorta. An open wound was visible at the site of swelling, they write, “providing physical evidence of biting.”


One of the males apparently bit too far to the left and missed his mate’s aorta, the researchers note. This female was still immobilized, they report, but she awoke after 35 minutes, earlier than all the others.


“Therefore, despite not having any direct measurements of TTX in the body of females after male biting behavior, these findings strongly suggest the co-option of the venom for mating in this species,” they write.


“It also suggests a co-evolutionary arms race between the sexes, whereby a cannibalizing large female is counteracted in males through the use of venom.”


Since none of the females died during mating, it seems they may have some level of resistance to tetrodotoxin.


A variety of animals accumulate this bacterial toxin in their bodies, including mollusks, fish, and amphibians. More in-depth studies are needed to investigate the different ways animals are using it, the researchers write.

The study was published in Current Biology.

Tags: MSFT Content
Previous Post

The tobacco lobby claims vaping is displacing youth smoking; a close look at the evidence tells another story

Next Post

March 24 astrology predictions: Horoscope Today, March 24, 2025: How Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Sagittarius, and other zodiac signs can overcome the Monday blues todayheadline

Related Posts

Help us cover hurricanes » Yale Climate Connections

Help us cover hurricanes » Yale Climate Connections

May 31, 2025
6

Journalists Draw Link Between Internet Dead Zones, Threatened Medicaid Cuts, and Health

May 31, 2025
4
Next Post
ET logo

March 24 astrology predictions: Horoscope Today, March 24, 2025: How Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Sagittarius, and other zodiac signs can overcome the Monday blues todayheadline

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

April 2, 2025
Pioneering 3D printing project shares successes

Product reduces TPH levels to non-hazardous status

November 27, 2024

Hospital Mergers Fail to Deliver Better Care or Lower Costs, Study Finds todayheadline

December 31, 2024

Police ID man who died after Corso Italia fight

December 23, 2024
Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power

Harris tells supporters ‘never give up’ and urges peaceful transfer of power

0
Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mother

Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother

0

Trump ‘looks forward’ to White House meeting with Biden

0
Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

0
Local Hezbollah rocket unit commander killed in south Lebanon drone strike, IDF says

Local Hezbollah rocket unit commander killed in south Lebanon drone strike, IDF says

May 31, 2025
The word Dividends in yellow on a blackboard with doodles around it.

The Smartest High-Yield Stocks to Buy With $100 Right Now todayheadline

May 31, 2025

Smriti Irani visits Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, offers prayers for soldiers deployed on the borders – The Economic Times Video todayheadline

May 31, 2025
Help us cover hurricanes » Yale Climate Connections

Help us cover hurricanes » Yale Climate Connections

May 31, 2025

Recent News

Local Hezbollah rocket unit commander killed in south Lebanon drone strike, IDF says

Local Hezbollah rocket unit commander killed in south Lebanon drone strike, IDF says

May 31, 2025
0
The word Dividends in yellow on a blackboard with doodles around it.

The Smartest High-Yield Stocks to Buy With $100 Right Now todayheadline

May 31, 2025
4

Smriti Irani visits Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, offers prayers for soldiers deployed on the borders – The Economic Times Video todayheadline

May 31, 2025
3
Help us cover hurricanes » Yale Climate Connections

Help us cover hurricanes » Yale Climate Connections

May 31, 2025
6

TodayHeadline is a dynamic news website dedicated to delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news coverage from around the globe.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Basketball
  • Business & Finance
  • Climate Change
  • Crime & Justice
  • Cybersecurity
  • Economic Policies
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Policies
  • Europe
  • Football
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Health
  • Medical Research
  • Mental Health
  • Middle East
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Politics
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Science & Environment
  • Software & Apps
  • Space Exploration
  • Sports
  • Stock Market
  • Technology & Startups
  • Tennis
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Us & Canada
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • World News

Recent News

The word Dividends in yellow on a blackboard with doodles around it.

The Smartest High-Yield Stocks to Buy With $100 Right Now todayheadline

May 31, 2025

Smriti Irani visits Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, offers prayers for soldiers deployed on the borders – The Economic Times Video todayheadline

May 31, 2025
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Technology & Startups
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Todayheadline.co

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Business & Finance
  • Corporate News
  • Economic Policies
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Trends
  • Crime & Justice
  • Court Cases
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Cybercrime
  • Legal Reforms
  • Policing
  • Education
  • Higher Education
  • Online Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Awards & Festivals
  • Celebrity News
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Health
  • Fitness & Nutrition
  • Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health
  • Pandemic Updates
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Living
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Government Policies
  • International Relations
  • Legislative News
  • Political Parties
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Industry Analysis
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Policies
  • Medical Research
  • Science & Environment
  • Space Exploration
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • Sports
  • Tennis
  • Technology & Startups
  • Software & Apps
  • Startup Success Stories
  • Startups & Innovations
  • Tech Regulations
  • Venture Capital
  • Uncategorized
  • World News
  • Us & Canada
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Travel
  • Research & Innovation
  • Scholarships & Grants
  • School Reforms
  • Stock Market
  • TV & Streaming
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2024 Todayheadline.co