Octopuses are wild animal . They demonstrate phenomenal teaser - solving skill and are adore by the Internet . They are also very mysterious creature but scientist are tardily handle to ravel their secrets .
An authoritative feature that has been investigated has to do with the close of an octopus ' life . octopus are semelparous animals , meaning that they regurgitate once and then die . This death is especially dramatic for female octopus , and they have been seen harming themselves in captivity to travel rapidly up the process .
In the seventy this behavior was linked to the optic gland and now investigator have discovered several clear-cut chemical substance signals that control four separate phases of maternal behavior and then lead to the animal ’s dying . The research is published in theJournal of Experimental Biology .
" We ’re bringing cephalopod research into the 21st century , and what unspoilt way of life to do that than have this unveiling of an organ that has historically fascinated cephalopodan biologists for a long , recollective time , " result writer Z. Yan Wang , from the University of Chicago , enjoin in astatement .
" These behavior are so distinct and so stereotyped when you actually see them . It ’s really exciting because it ’s the first sentence we can pinpoint any molecular chemical mechanism to such dramatic behaviors , which to me is the entire intent of studying neuroscience . "
The team studied female two - spot octopuses at different times during their reproductive cycle . Mature non - mated females are dynamic marauder spending little time in their dens . But after they lay their egg their behavior changes dramatically . For the first three or four day , they remain near their orchis and proceed to eat on , grab crabs that get too airless . Then they bar exhaust completely for about eight to 10 days . In the final phase angle , they hit themselves against the side of their tank ( if in enslavement ) , and lose musculus tone and color thanks to a lack of nutriment .
" This is troubling to even find in the science lab because from a human view they look like they ’re ego - mutilating . It ’s just very , very unusual behavior , " Wang tell .
The researcher gather sample distribution from the optic glands of octopuses at each stagecoach of the mental process and worked out what protein were being produce at the time . Before reproducing , they have a high degree of neuropeptides , proteins used by nerve cells to communicate . These are linked to feeding behavior in many animals . After they lay their eggs , these proteins set down off . unlike molecules are produced after reproduction but how they have the change in behaviour is not exactly clear .
It ’s also not sealed why this fate evolved in octopuses . It could be to forbid mother eating their young or to reduce competition for resources . It might seem grim to us but it seems to work for them .
