It started the moment she went into the tank – he spotted her, sped over and started to have his way with her. She had no choice! I could see she had enough, even underwater “No Means No”. This went on for weeks, he’d ambush her. She started exploding eggs. Eggs everywhere. None of them ever came to fruition. I saw her grow weak and weary, but figured “ah, this is the life of a female cuttlefish, she’ll be fine”. But then I noticed secretions coming from her mantle. Open wounds caused by the blunt force of the male’s mating routine. She became lethargic, she ate so unenthusiastically. I’m sorry this is all so incredibly sad. We separated her from her assailant but alas she succumbed to the incessant passing of sperm packets. I relayed this occurrence to my go-to Cuttle Specialist, Laura, when she simply responded “Yea, they do that sometimes”. Male cuttlefish suck.
Tragedy! Scandal! My Cuttlefish was RAPED to Death! Male Cuttlefish Suck.
by Caitlin Nichole | Jun 13, 2014 | Science | 2 comments
I'm a New York Reef Enthusiast and Fish Nerd, amateur photographer, dog lover, beer brewer/drinker, cocktail mixer, semi-seasoned chef, Prosecco Indulging, lightly foul-mouthed, slightly antagonistic, sorta-artistic, wordy bookworm of a girl. Dog mommy of three, an Abyssinian dubbed "Mau", plus one Dwarf Cuttlefish and a few Clarions. I have a tattoo of an Octopus with flowers on my rear. I ride my bike to the beach and sip bourbon with a good (reef) book while watching the waves. I like to think I'm witty and charming - but I'll let you decide.
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I’m both horrified and laughing my ass off.
Haha, thanks Amanda! That’s pretty much what I was going for