Sensory organ in male cephalopod able to detect female hormone progesterone, even if male cannot see partner
  • iopq@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    2 hours ago

    Sex at arm’s length? Male octopuses use specialised arm to mate, scientists find (350 BCE)

  • Pat_Riot@lemmy.todayEnglish
    8·
    12 hours ago

    I could have sworn that we’ve known this for decades. I’m sure I remember reading articles on this. Did I hallucinate that but somehow hallucinate it right?

    • terabyterex@lemmy.worldEnglish
      5·
      11 hours ago

      This is the relevant part —

      But how this arm detects a mate, or delivers the sperm to the right location, has remained unclear.

      Now scientists have found the arm is a sensory organ, similar to a tongue, that can detect the female hormone progesterone. This allows it to seek out and fertilise a mate, even if the male cannot see its sexual partner.

    • zer0hour@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      11 hours ago

      This is definitely something I learned long ago. Maybe it was speculation back when I believe I “learned” it, but I was pretty sure it was a known fact already