In the perilous world of cephalopod romance, male blue-lined octopuses have evolved a shocking strategy to survive mating.

Some male octopuses tend to get eaten by their sexual partners, but male blue-lined octopuses avoid this fate with help from one of nature’s most potent venoms

Scientists have found that male blue-lined octopuses inject venom and paralyse females during sex to avoid being killed and cannibalised by their much larger partners.

Male blue-lined octopuses inject females with venom during mating to avoid being eaten by their partners, observations suggest 1. Blue-lined octopuses (Hapalochlaena fasciata) have paralysing venom that can kill a human.

Male blue-lined octopi (Hapalochlaena fasciata) have been found to use venom on their sexual partners, as well as for the usual reasons of defense against predators and subduing prey. Killing the females would be counterproductive,