For an octopus mother, mating marks the beginning of the end. She chooses a mate, lays her eggs, and spends her final days guarding them.
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TRANSCRIPT
This plastic pipe is also occupied by a male.
But he is signaling his readiness to breed.
It's an irresistible performance.
So she inspects his den.
It may not look like much, but to her, apparently it will do.
He nudges her into his home.
She gives his den and him her seal of approval, and the two mate.
A few days later, she starts laying her eggs inside the pipe.
She will eventually produce about 500 of them.
She strokes them with her suckers to keep them clear of algae.
Her home will hide her and is easy to defend, but laying her eggs will be the last act of her life.
All octopus mothers die in their dens.
As her eggs hatch, she takes her young in her arms and uses her siphon to propel them to independence.