Female Octopuses throw objects at males when harassed

If you ask any woman what she does to avoid unwanted advances from the opposite gender, she’ll undoubtedly tell you she has a few techniques up her sleeve. Apparently, things aren’t much different deep down in the waters, where female octopuses have been observed “throwing” objects at males when they are harassed!

The intriguing findings have provided plenty of meat for meme-hungry netizens, with some pointing out that harassment occurs “across the species.”

Researchers discovered a surprising behavioral element of the eight-limbed creature in a new study, indicating that they bombard males who approach them in an attempt to mate with shells and debris. The preprint research study, titled ‘In the Line of Fire: Debris Throwing by Wild Octopuses,’ investigated the various throws by the sea creature.

It was observed that the sea creatures “frequently propel shells, silt, and algae through the water by releasing these materials from their arms while creating a forceful jet from the siphon held under the armed web.” Some of the throws appeared to have fixed targets of the same species and “were significantly more vigorous”.

Advertisement

"HOW IS IT HARASSING?! I JUST SAID SHE SHOULD SMILE MORE!"

-Male Octopus Rights Advocate from his mom's part of the ocean pic.twitter.com/vJOw003kbx

— Anthony Giffen (@AnthonyGiffen) September 16, 2021

Female 🐙 when a male comes near them pic.twitter.com/KTiqQauONO

Advertisement

— swooshcloud (@swooshcloud) September 16, 2021

female octopi when a male comes near: pic.twitter.com/aUngf2GKNb

— idraxigy (@iDraxigy) September 16, 2021

Huh. Octopus news. Glad to see harassment is not tolerated in the animal… sea animal Kingdom either. pic.twitter.com/IFCMIfvc27

— Cynical Archivist (@CallidusDominus) September 16, 2021

For the study, the researcher observed the animal’s behavior on camera several times over the course of several years. In one video from 2016, a female octopus was seen spitting silt at a male octopus who was attempting to mate with her.

“She threw silt at him ten times, hitting him on five of those attempts. The male occasionally tried to dodge the sentiment but was only successful around half of the time,” media reported.

Also Read

Astronaut uploads workout video from International Space Station

If you're looking for encouragement to work out, the latest video of...