Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness

by Peter Godfrey-Smith

Biologists distinguish between semelparous and iteroparous organisms. Semelparous organisms reproduce once, or in a single short season. This is also called “big bang” reproduction. Iteroparous organisms, like ourselves, reproduce many times over a more extended period. Female octopuses, in general, are an extreme case of semelparity—they die after a single pregnancy. A female octopus might mate with many males, but when it is time to lay eggs, she settles permanently into a den. There the female will lay her eggs, and fan and tend them as they develop. This one clutch can contain many thousands of eggs. The brooding might take a month, or several months, depending on the species and the conditions (things are slower in cold water). When the eggs hatch, the larvae drift off into the water. Soon afterward the female dies.