biologists even call them "the weeds of the sea."

Their main purpose in life is to breed and make babies, but the way they do that is real

weird.

Check out this Facebook video we made to

see how... octopuses? Do the dirty.

The octopus has 8 tentacles

And in the male, one of those tentacles is also

a penis, well, sort of

This is the hectocotylus

A specialized mating arm, with a groove that runs along tentacle

carrying packets of sperm to be distributed from the tip

Should that special moment arrive

Most octopuses live solitary, antisocial lives,

hunting and scavenging for food along ocean floor.

However, when the time arises, they mate in a very intimate way.

The male must deposit its sperm into a hole in the female's mantle

a hole that she uses to breathe and expel waste

Or as Aristotle romantically described: "the Nostril of the Female."

In a vast and sparse ocean, the opportunity to procreate is rare

and for most octopus species, it will be the last thing they ever do

because for male octopuses, the prospect of mating is a dangerous one.

You see, the female is often larger, hungrier, oh, and cannibal

So, in order to protect himself, he must make a careful and considered approach

For longer armed octopuses, the move of choice is The Reach

To keep their distance from the cannibal female

the male will stretch his mating arm as long as possible,

keeping the distance while he copulates.

Some species will even wait until the female is foraging for food

and therefore too preoccupied to eat them

And some species have evolved beyond "the reach"

More cautious males will simply detach their mating arm and give them to the female.

The hectocotylus will stay intact in the female's mantle until the female is ready for fertilization

Once the copulation is complete, the octopuses' life mission is complete

Both male and female will experience a dementia-like state of being after mating called: senescence.

The male will experience this alone.

They do not eat or return to their dens, and will eventually die from their weakened state.

The female will devote the rest of her days to her eggs

ensuring that her thousands of offspring hatch before dying of exhaustion.

This unconventional courtship will create 56,000 eggs.

And because the yield is stable, only 2 will survive to maturity

Pretty crazy right? Those poor little guys. If you

wanna know more about how animals get it on, check out our series “Wild Sex” on Seeker’s

Facebook page, Seeker Media.

In the meantime, if you’re curious what happened after ancient humans and neanderthals

had sex, watch this video here.

Are there any other weird animals you want to know more about?

Let us know down in the comments, be sure to subscribe if you haven't already and

thanks for watching Seeker!