Female octopuses throw shells at males annoying them

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Female octopuses have been observed throwing silt, shells and algae at males during unwanted mating attempts. bringing the male directly into the path of the throw.” The preprint research paper, titled In the Line of Fire: Debris Throwing by Wild Octopuses, noted: “This sequence is also notable for the behaviors of the male who was the apparent target of the hits. In the first two cases, the target ducked after release of the throw; in the latter two, he ducked before the release, during preparatory motions by the thrower.” In other instances, the researchers found that other octopuses raised arms in the direction of the thrower but did not duck. “Force is not imparted by the arms, as in a human throw, but the arms organize the projection of material by the jet.” They concluded that octopuses can “definitely be added to the short list of animals who regularly throw or propel objects, and provisionally added to the shorter list of those who direct their throws on other animals”, adding: “If they are indeed targeted, these throws are directed at individuals of the same population in social interactions – the least common form of nonhuman throwing”.