Well, the headline from Nature.com says it all. This actually has some remarkable implications. Please folks, let's keep the discussion clean and focused for this one, thanks! :mrgreen:

Octopuses get erections (http://www.nature.com/nsu/030922/030922-11.html)

According to the article, "Octopuses are the first soft-bodied animal found to have erectile tissue." Steve, I'd be interested in learning how this might relate to other cephs (e.g., squid), if at all.

Interesting ramifications for the arms vs. brains thread... ;)

:roflmao: :lol: :roflmao: :lol:

Very interesting article.

oh, indeed the title of the article can be classified as a narrative hook, it's very catchy!
...and weird. :shock: :shock:

Now you've done it! All the octopuses in the world are going to get spam selling Viagra tomorrow! :roflmao:

Melissa

Now you've done it! All the octopuses in the world are going to get spam selling Viagra tomorrow! :roflmao:

"Turn that Enteroctopus into an Enterectopus."

:heee:

I'd sooner not comment on this one; I think their statements are a little premature :jester:

well you all agree that's it's a catchy title right?

Yes, and I'm 13 so I'm allowed to be immature.

The idea of the Octo's ligula scrubbing out the sperm of rivals doesn't seem so farfetched. Isn't it true that in Cuttles, the males use jets of water before mating with a previously-inseminated female for the same purpose? (Steve-O', please correct me if I'm wrong about this.)

Curious (but not yellow),
Tani

Wow...that is pretty cool!!! Gives a whole new lease on viagra lol. And the Canadian government does not want to protect our ceph's. Unbeleivable. They will protect all other creatures. They have the nerve to say that these beautiful creatures have no bones. I think they misjudged...greatly!!! :x :twisted: Sorry for the sarcasm but what the heck can i do.

Borrowed this from Tony, who borrowed it from Carol...
Apologies to Ink and, well, the general public. It's the formalin fumes.

;)

http://www.tonmo.com/phpBB/download.php?id=929

:lol:

:heee:

whata you people in, 5th :grad: grade? all acting so ecxited 'bout this :x :x

Well, it was rather arousing news.

Am I the only person here who actually made a serious comment on this subject?

Apparently this is so out-of-character for the usually warped Tanster that no one has even bothered to acknowledge it.

So, just for the record: Yes, I am the only person here who actually made a serious comment on this subject. [See above]

Believe it or not.

:grad:

Swelling with pride,
Tani
(Dang, I just couldn't resist :mrgreen: )

I actually did notice that.

Swelling with pride...

:lol:

Too bad this thread is general admission.

Interesting second report on this subject matter here:

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/06/1068013324484.html

whata you people in, 5th :grad: grade? all acting so ecxited 'bout this :x :x

Kat,

Actually, this is exciting in a way, jokes aside. I swear these animals get more and more interesting with each new property we discover about them. First we see Octopuses using neurotransmitters thought to occur ONLY in vertebrates... then we see that they sleep, perchance to dream... Now a vertebrate style adaptation to facilitate mating? Convergent evolution at its finest?

An instruictor of mine once told me that the ceph was the molluscan attempt at creating fishlike forms (Squids) and tetrapod-style superpredators (Octos). If that is the case here, then we may have yet to discover new behaviors and properties that relate our landlocked tetrapod selves to these beasts. That would rock. :band:

Well, night y'all!

Sushi and Sake (the good unfiltered Nigori kind)

John

John, wasn't me... there are two of us with the same avatar now... :roll:

:shock:

D'oh! *Slaps Head*

Sorry Kat,

Wow... my eyes REEEEEEALLY need checking.... :oops:

But other than that, I meant what I said. :)

Bad John! No sushi or sake for you!

John

was in our Science Library today and found that this has now been published. some interesting histology done.


Thompson, J. T., Voight, J. R. 2003. Erectile tissue in an invertebrate animal: the Octopus copulatory organ. J. Zool. Lond. v. 261 p. 101-108

The authors compared histologically the ligulae of O. bimaculoides (the erectile one!!), Graneladone pacifica and Bathypolypus bairdii. It seem that the lingula of the bimac has a similar structure to that of a mammalian penis (as compared to that of a nine banded armadillo :shock: :shock: )

J

It seem that the lingula of the bimac has a similar structure to that of a mammalian penis (as compared to that of a nine banded armadillo :shock: :shock: )

Who actually bothered to compare? :shock:

It seem that the lingula of the bimac has a similar structure to that of a mammalian penis (as compared to that of a nine banded armadillo :shock: :shock: )

Who actually bothered to compare? :shock:

There were apparently (in the ref list!!) a couple of papers by someone called Kelly on the armadillo's er..............equipment :D and then Thompson and Voight did the comparing!!

J

Jean,

Thankee-sai, and may you always follow along the path of the Beam...

See, I'm still totally sold on this convergent evolution thing. All evidence points to the idea that cephs are the butt-kicking molluscs we always thought they were...

Sushi and Sake,

John

You's welcome!

See, I'm still totally sold on this convergent evolution thing. All evidence points to the idea that cephs are the butt-kicking molluscs we always thought they were...

You said it 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)8) 8) 8) 8)


J

However, I'm afraid that in this department another mollusk has the Octo beat by several.... inches:

http://www.postmodern.com/~jka/slime.html

More on octopus erectile tissue at

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/7251997.htm

The article ends "In the case of the frisky male in the Texas tank, the 'female was literally fighting him off and in the end, he bit and envenomed her,' Voight wrote. 'I won't go into the details, but I separated the two at that point.'"

:shock: Maybe this belongs in the autophagy thread.

Melissa

That's interesting Melissa, especially the bit about the male envenoming the female. I was always told that octopus venom didn't work on each other, so they tended to strangle rather than bite :shock: Maybe it was a looooove bite :tentacle::tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle: :tentacle:

J

Maybe it was a looooove bite

That's always the excuse I use.

:shock:

:heee:

Oops -- I have just edited my above post to show the correct link. Enjoy!

:heee:

Oops -- I have just edited my above post to show the correct link. Enjoy!

:heee:

I was wondering what on Earth you were talking about. :)

More tasteless jokes may be forthcoming...

(apophallation :goofysca: )

:nofeet:

More related press...:

Evolutionary quirk unites man and octopus (http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/7251997.htm)

:shock: Wow, I guess man and octopus aren't all that different, as for the scrubbing out other males' spermataphores, I always thought that's why the hectocotylus of the Arctic Octopus was so relatively large.








Oh, and P. S.:Can we please be a little mature here? I don't want to see a good topic get locked :(

Interestingly Moroteuthis ingens doesn't have a hectocotylus! But has a very large (in a mature male longer than the mantle length :shock: :shock: ) penis which is very muscular. Females have been found with spermatophores attached well inside the mantle cavity........right Kat????

J

Does this mean older male octo's are kept awake at night by the thought of impotency????? :goofysca:

Females have been found with spermatophores attached well inside the mantle cavity........right Kat????

..... not Kat here (she's gone), but in answer, yes, inside mantle cavity, through the mantle wall, here, there and everywhere .....

Just a tiny brain there Aron .... I don't think they're staying awake considering anything, other than where the next predator, prey or mate is ....

... not Kat here (she's gone)

As in "She's a goner"? Have you pre-emptively struck her, based on her talk of stuffing you in the deepfreeze with the squidbits?



Just a tiny brain there Aron .... I don't think they're staying awake considering anything, other than where the next predator, prey or mate is ....

I share their pain. :cry:

i have to agree with um.... i dont think brain size really affects that type of thinking.....

Wow, that does seem to be interesting...who would've thought...
I wonder what was going through their minds as they were doing this research....

Wow, that does seem to be interesting...who would've thought...
I wonder what was going through their minds as they were doing this research....

.... well, the octopus probably had food going through its mind (given the oesophagus passes straight through the brain).

... as far as the scientists are concerned ..... who knows ... but I for one wouldn't be in any hurry to shake their hand(s)!