cuttlefish dating...

[cuttlegirl]

This is what I have learned from observing my three cuttles. (please don't take this as scientific observation, it just struck me that it related all too well to the human race...).

Boys will be boys. Given the chance the two males would rather make themselves look as big and long as possible to intimidate each other rather than impress the girl. She does not seem impressed at all, rather she would rather swim to the other side of the tank than hang around near them...

If near each other, the two males would rather flash bright colors at one another than eat - leaving the female to get all the good food.

The female chooses which male she would hang out with, it seems to have nothing to do with what the males are doing with each other... She is almost always snuggled in a cave with one of the males while the other is sadly alone on the other side of the tank...

She does however, seem to take turns with the males, so that I am sure that her eggs come from two fathers. I have seen her mate with one male and then within five minutes, go and mate with the other (no, they don't seem to cuddle in bed afterwards...).

Once again, not scientific, totally anthropomorphizing, but hard not to do with cephalopods...

 

[DHyslop]

She does however, seem to take turns with the males, so that I am sure that her eggs come from two fathers. I have seen her mate with one male and then within five minutes, go and mate with the other

This reminds me of a joke told to me by a friend who spent some time living in a small town in the Black Hills. He said that in South Dakota you don't break up, you just lose a turn.

 

[sorseress]

I've watched birds act the same way. What is it about males?

 

[tonmo]

I was going to move this thread from "Off-Topic Discussion" to "Cuttlefish Care" (after reaching out to Cuttlegirl with that idea), but I just figured, what the hell, let's make it a premium ceph discussion, so I moved it here... ...