5 years ago. February 11, 2019 at 4:50 PM
The male octopus just give the female their spermatophore-loaded mating arm, and swim away to safety. Male argonaut octopuses are smaller than the females, and the male's hectocotylus simply stays intact inside the female's mantle "until the female is ready to use the sperm for fertilization", Mather says.
The things that make you go hmmm!