Deep-sea squid have become the latest species to come out of the closet.
The tiny-five-and-a-half inch squid, 'Octopoteuthis deletron,' is the first "among the spineless masses of invertebrates known to mate equally with males and females" according to the New York Times.
In a paper entitled 'A shot in the dark: same-sex sexual behavior in a deep-sea squid', scientists detailed the fascinating sex lives of these solitary creatures.
Male squid pay no attention to the sex of the other squid. Living alone in the darkest depths of the sea, it is rare for one squid to pass another by in the endless night.
Rather than miss out on this reproductive opportunity, the male squid literally takes a shot in the dark, ejaculating a packet of sperm at the mating partner which then turns inside out, shooting the sperm contained in a membrane into the flesh of the partner.
There, the sperm remain embedded until the female (if the shooter has been lucky) is ready to fertilize its eggs. And if the recipient is a male, they're just stuck with them.
But lead researcher Dr Hendrik Hoving emphasises that the behaviour of the squid does not make them bisexual, rather, they have no discernible sexual orientation.
- HERALD ONLINE