Octopuses find a mate by touch and taste - study shows

It's about an unusual sensor system built into the tentacles.

Details

The study showed that male octopuses have a special tentacle used for reproduction.

It turned out that it performs not only a mechanical function, but also a sensory one - it helps to "recognise" a partner.

On the surface of this tentacle are receptors that respond to chemical signals, including the female's sex hormones.

In experiments, octopuses could find a mate even in the dark or through a partition, simply by extending a tentacle.

When the scientists replaced the female with an object with the hormone applied, the males reacted to it in the same way as to a real partner.

The two males placed side by side did not attempt to mate - confirming the accuracy of this 'recognition'.

Why it matters

The discovery shows how complex the sensory systems of octopuses are.

The scientists note:

• tentacles can work almost autonomously
• "Taste by touch plays a key role in reproduction
• such mechanisms may influence the evolution of species

This helps to better understand how behavioural and biological differences between species are formed.

Background

Octopuses have a significant proportion of their neurons in their tentacles rather than in the brain.

It was previously known that they use them to find food, but the role in reproduction remained unclear.

Source

The study is based on experiments with octopuses, including observations of their behaviour in the absence of visual contact and analysis of their response to hormones. The work is published in the journal Science (2026).