Talk:Hectocotylus

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Query: Why does the Hectocotylus break off during copulation? What purpose does it serve?

If anyone knows, please respond on this page.

Sincerely, Gunter Goebel

I believe it is to try and stop other boys getting a piece of the action, but don't quote me on that. The bellman 01:02, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] position of the Hectocotylus

This page seems to suggest that all octopuses have thier hectocotylus as their 3rd right arm. Is that right, is it always the same arm for any one type of cephalopod? The bellman 01:02, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Aristotle

The page currently fails to mention something featured on the Aristotle page - that while its existence was treated as a myth for a number of centuries after his work came out (probably because only males have it, and then only part of the time at that, making the research considerably harder to duplicate), the Hectocotylus was observed somewhat by Aristotle when he examined the sea life off Lesbos. Is there a reason this isn't even mentioned, aside from the obvious fact that the article is basically not far above Stub class (if that)? In case you're interested, the exact portion I'm speaking of is here. Most of this section on his sea life observations seems to have sources, even though the statement on hectocotyl arms itself does not have a Ref footnote (though several sentences around it do)- unfortunately I'm too tired and busy this weekend to dig through them, but it should be all there, one would suppose, for whomever wants to pick up on it to verify it. Just thought I'd point it out so it doesn't languish in Notnoticedland. :P 4.235.69.150 04:49, 6 October 2007 (UTC)