Hectocotylus

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/hectocotylus

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the diet?Cephalopods are obligate carnivores. The hectocotylus itself is a non-feeding anatomical structure
2. How does the hectocotylus help in reproduction?The arm holds sperm packets called spermatophores and pushes them into the female’s body during mating. This lets the sperm reach the eggs for fertilization.
3. Why do some hectocotylus arms detach?In some species, the arm can break off and swim on its own, looking for a female to deliver sperm. This helps the sperm reach a mate even after the arm leaves the male.

Cephalopoda: A class of marine mollusks characterized by bilateral symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles derived from the body.
Spermatophore: A complex, encapsulated sperm packet produced by male cephalopods, designed for efficient transfer and fertilization of the female's eggs.
Muscular Hydrostat: A biological structure composed primarily of muscle tissue that achieves shape changes and movement through internal muscle action, without skeletal support.
Sexual Selection: A mode of natural selection in which members of one biological sex choose mates of the other sex to mate with, and this choice influences the evolution of the chosen sex.