Biologists from the University of Chicago found that female octopuses kill themselves after laying eggs because mating triggers biochemical processes in their bodies that trigger self-destructive behaviors. They talked about it in a magazine article. current biology.
After the female octopus lays her eggs, she stops eating and begins to tear off her skin and bite off pieces of her tentacles. By the time the cub appears, he is already dead.
A long-term study of this feature made it possible to determine that after mating the optic gland (similar to the pituitary gland in octopuses) begins to secrete more sex hormones, insulin-like hormones and cholesterol precursors. In humans, excess cholesterol precursors lead to behavioral disorders, including self-harm. Severe cases can be life-threatening. Apparently, the same mechanism drives octopuses to suicidal behavior.
“It’s surprising that octopuses go through such changes just before they die that they seem to go crazy,” said the study’s authors.
In the future, the researchers plan to examine in more detail the molecular pathways that influence the behavior of octopuses and find out how similar they are to those in other animals.