Titre du document / Document title

First encounter with a live male blanket octopus: the world's most sexually size-dimorphic large animal

Auteur(s) / Author(s)

NORMAN M. D. ; PAUL D. ; FINN J. ; TREGENZA T. ;

Résumé / Abstract

The first encounter with a live male blanket octopus, Tremoctopus violaceus Chiaie, 1830, illustrates the most extreme example of sexual size-dimorphism in a non-microscopic animal. Females attain sizes of up to 2 m long-almost 2 orders of magnitude larger than the 2.4-cm-long male. Weight ratios between the sexes are at least 10 000:1 and are likely to reach 40 000:1. Sexual selection and the unique defensive strategy of carrying cnidarian stinging tentacles may both have contributed to the evolution of this extreme size-dimorphism. Such dimorphism is not seen in any other animal remotely as large.

Revue / Journal Title

New Zealand journal of marine and freshwater research    ISSN  0028-8330   CODEN NZJMBS 

Source / Source

2002, vol. 36, n^o4, pp. 733-736 [4 page(s) (article)]

Langue / Language

Anglais

Editeur / Publisher

Scientific and Industrial Research Publishing, Wellington, NOUVELLE-ZELANDE  (1967) (Revue)

Localisation / Location

INIST-CNRS, Cote INIST : 1103, 35400010361302.0050