07/28/2024
We emailed PZ at 3am with the Subject Line: Important octopus questionz. He responded four hours later. Here's what was said:
"Ben and I are chatting about the talk you did forever ago at Skepticon about how octopi will detach and throw their p***ses at each other. We have questions:
- how far?
Not far at all. Less throwing, more handing their p***s to their partner.
- where? Do them near each other? Do they bonk off of their head?
They place it inside.
- does it get thrown inside like a javelin?
They're soft and squirmy, not at all aerodynamic.
- how hard? Like how much force is put behind this throw? Are there many p***s throwing injuries in the octopi community?
Gently and lovingly, no injuries.
- do they regrow after? Can they grow more than one?
If they live long enough. These are small male octopuses, and it[s a hard life. They might get lucky once before they're eaten by a predator.
- do they ever boomerang back?
That would be a sign of failure, since the whole point is to get it inside the female.
For your further delectation, there are spiders whose intromittent organ snaps off inside the female to prevent other males from having s*x with her. There is even a spider that goes so far as to drop dead as soon as he manages insertion, so the female has a complete dead co**se dangling out of her hoo-hah. That tends to discourage further romantic encounters."
Thank you, PZ for always answering our burning science questions!
