Cephalopods are fantastic creatures, inspiring a mixture of emotions in humans. I was first alerted to them in college, during a classical art class. The image of the Minoan octopus vase was electrifying, and sent me on a search for more information among the library stacks. One of my favorite bits of data is about octopus reproduction. Octopuses mate once in their lives. At the end of its life cycle, the male quits eating and becomes diurnal. He searches for a mate. Once he finds her, they mate, and he goes off to die of starvation. Meanwhile, she has also quit eating but waits to release eggs and protect them until they hatch before she herself dies of starvation. National Resource Center for Cephalopods