Documentary · France · 1967 · 14m

The Love Life of an Octopus

Les amours de la pieuvre

Synopsis

An octopus slithers into a narrow crack near the shore; we see its eye up close. It feeds on a crab. In spring it's time to mate. A male grabs a female; he inserts his third arm in her respiratory cavity. We watch another pair: a larger female is the aggressor here. Mating is repeated over hours and days. The female releases strings of fertilized eggs that hang from the roof of a nest. She guards her spawn for a month, fanning the strings to circulate water for oxygen and cleanliness.

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Jean Painlevé directed The Love Life of an Octopus. Explore their complete filmography and the collaborators who shaped their vision.

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