Protective Cuttlefish Are Masters of Disguise
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Male cuttlefish closely guard their female mates to keep away other potential suitors. But some Sepia apama have a trick for sneaking by: cross-dressing. They hold their arms like egg-laying females, acquire a feminine skin pattern and hide their sex organs. DNA testing showed that the strategy resulted in a significant number of fertilizations, a group of marine biologists reported in Nature.