Deep Sea Squid Has Same-Sex Sex

What’s the Latest Development?

Scientists have confirmed that the deep sea squid inhabiting the depths of the Pacific Ocean engages in same-sex sex—it joins the list of hundreds of other species, including our own, which are known to do the same. “Male squid pay no attention to the sex of other squid. Understandably so. They live alone in the dark, males and females are hard to tell apart, and only occasionally do squids pass in the night. Far better to risk wasting a few million sperm than to miss out on a chance to reproduce.”

What’s the Big Idea?

Many other species engage in same-sex sex, the closest to humans being the dolphin and bonobo. Male dolphins seek male and female partners while the females mostly prefer to mate with males. Bonobos are willing to engage in any combination, frequently. “Over the years, scientists have added one creature after another to the list, making it clear that although nature may abhor a vacuum, it seems to be fine with just about everything else.” Albatrosses, too, form female-female relationships for the purpose of raising their young.