"Extreme Solutions: Unveiling the Bizarre Sex Lives of Deep Sea Creatures"
Deep-sea creatures have evolved extreme solutions to overcome the challenges of finding a mate in the sparse and food-scarce environment of the deep sea. Some species of squids and octopuses attempt to mate with any potential partner they encounter, regardless of sex or species. Other animals, like the sea cucumber Paroriza pallens, form long-term partnerships to ensure fertilization. However, some deep-sea animals, such as wood-eating clams, bone-eating worms, and certain species of anglerfish, have developed even more extreme solutions. These species have tiny males that attach themselves to females, acting as standby "accessory males" to fertilize the female's eggs when needed. In some cases, the male fuses his mouth onto the female's body, becoming a parasitic provider of sperm on-tap. These deep-sea anglerfish have adapted to avoid immune rejection by lacking certain genes in their adaptive immune system, but this may make them more susceptible to infections.