It's all about chemistry: scientists have found out why octopuses torture themselves after mating

Perhaps one of the most intriguing creatures on the planet is the octopus. One mystery that has plagued scientists for a long time is the self-destruction of octopuses after mating.

Female octopuses have been known to torture themselves and sometimes even eat themselves when their eggs are close to hatching. They are not the only creatures in the wild that die after mating, but their behavior is particularly cruel to themselves.

Researchers say female octopuses torture themselves after mating due to chemical changes occurring around the time the mother lays her eggs, according to the journal Current Biology.

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