OCTOPUSSY, THE LADY THAT WET HER SHEETS

The Blanket Octopus is a fascinating animal with a beautiful defense mechanism. The males have an almost irrelevant existence because they are only a few centimeters long and die shortly after mating. They store sperm in a specially modified arm which detaches itself during mating and crawls into the mantle of the female to fertilize her eggs.

Females, however, can grow to over 2 meters in length and when they feel threatened, a set of arms tucked within their bodies unfurls a spectacular scarf-like net that connects the dorsal and dorsolateral arms. When spread, this webbing makes the animal look much bigger than what it really is, scaring potential predators.

–Read the original article and see more photos: The Lady that Wet her Sheets, Octopussy