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Science 2 December 1977:
Vol. 198. no. 4320, pp. 948 - 951
DOI: 10.1126/science.198.4320.948
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Articles

Hormonal Inhibition of Feeding and Death in Octopus: Control by Optic Gland Secretion

JEROME WODINSKY 1

1 Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02154

Female Octopus hummelincki lays eggs, broods them, reduces its food intake, and dies after the young hatch. Removal of both optic glands after spawning results in cessation of broodiness, resumption of feeding, increased growth, and greatly extended life-span. Optic gland secretions may cause death of most cephalopods and may function to control population size.

Submitted on March 28, 1977
Revised on June 13, 1977


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Animal anorexias.
N Mrosovsky and D. Sherry (1980)
Science 207, 837-842
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)