Giant Squid's Sex Life Revealed -

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200602/s1563818.htm

Nancy

I wonder if that means we'll be seeing more of the architeuthis dux photos taken a couple years back. I hope so because 5 was just not enough!

It's not that bizarre, there are certainly more bizarre mating rituals in the animal kingdom... Some male sharks bite female sharks while mating, and what about the praying mantis? She bites off his head, and he can still finish mating with her headless (I just read that she rarely does this in the wild, just in the laboratory when confined with the male, maybe in the wild the male just runs as fast as he can...). It makes biting off a tentacle seem tame... The media always has to put their own spin on the news...

Another ritual involves seaturtles. The male starts the ritual, and the female has to carry the male on her back, or they both drown!

That sounds uncomfortable. How about the male rhino, who remains on the female's back, all four feet off the ground around her for the duration of the act? I believe this takes over an hour.

Anyway, back to squid.

:shock:

.. haven't been oline for a while - been rather busy here (still in Hobart). The conference is great - and I'm currently with George Jackson playing with dead squid in the lab .... having a great time. I just made a short statement to someone who waved a microphone at me .... this isn't based on any new news, or really anything that has been discussed at the conference. On that note I'll get back to the squid. Cheers all

I wonder about the mating habits/rituals of the Humboldts, since they do possess those hooks and such...

A lot of female spiders will either injure or kill their mates during or after the act too. Take the funnel web spider for example. The male funnel web has even developed spurs on his front legs to help defend himself during mating!

Poor Males..