How the octopus uses its 'taste by touch' sensory system to feel out potential mates

How the octopus uses its 'taste by touch' sensory system to feel out potential mates

A new study by Harvard biologists reveals how octopuses feel their way to potential mates with a "taste by touch" sensory system and can even couple at arm's length without actually seeing each other. In a study featured on the cover of Science, the researchers deciphered how one male appendage serves as a multipurpose organ for seeking, sensing, and seeding—and even continues to respond to female sex hormones after being severed from the body.

Suckers for Love: Octopus Arms "Tastes" for a Mate

Biologists have discovered that the male octopus’s mating arm is a sophisticated sensory organ that "tastes" female hormones. The study reveals how these solitary creatures use "taste-by-touch" receptors to find and recognize mates in total darkness.