What My Octopus Teacher Taught Me About Gender Fluidity
If you haven’t already seen the Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher, then you are in for an emotionally charged romp with one of the ocean’s most captivating and thought-provoking creatures. My Octopus Teacher follows conservationist filmmaker Craig Foster as he develops a personal bond with an octopus in the lush kelp forests off the coast of South Africa. Foster goes into depth about how this relationship taught him lessons on the fragility of life and humanity’s connection with nature.
Throughout the film, Foster addresses the octopus with she/her pronouns, and he is correct in doing so but only part of the time. Let me explain.
One of the great unexplained phenomena surrounding the octopus is why it changes its color. This stunning ability has puzzled marine biologists for years. At first, it was thought to be a camouflage defense mechanism against predators. Years later, a new generation of biologists made the hypothesis that the color alterations were linked to octopus mating rituals and practices. But only recently have marine biologists discovered the true reason behind the behavior of these majestic creatures.
“We have understood the mechanics of ‘how’ for years but the question of ‘why’ has eluded us only until recently.” — Dr. H. Donna Nollusk, Ph.D. University of San Diego
An Octopus changes its color to display its gender.
Think of it as nature’s equivalent to displaying gender pronouns in your @Instagram bio.
Octopuses are notoriously temperamental creatures and often change color/genders multiple times a day. To do this, these cephalopods use specialized skin cells that change the appearance of their epidermis by adjusting its pigment, opacity, and reflectivity. Chromatophores contain yellow, orange, red, brown, or black pigments; most species have many or all of these colors.
This scientific revelation is still in its gestational stage of research and there is much work to be done but so far biologists have concluded that not only do these creatures alter their pigment but in doing so create hormonal changes in their body as well. Depending on the color/gender an octopus chooses, its central nervous system can alter the production of estrogen, testosterone, and non-binary hormones to suit its preferences.
Can you imagine having the ability to change your gender on a whim without having to deal with deeply repressed psychological trauma stemming from a diverse variety of sources but predominantly a repeated history of childhood neglect and abuse?
The Octopus is truly the superior species.
However, believe it or not, there is a downside to this discovery.
Colorblind marine biologists are being laid off in great quantities. Discrimination lawsuits will soon follow but are expected to favor the octopus.
Some More Amazing Octopus Facts:
- Octopuses have 3 hearts.
- Octopuses can regrow their arms.
- Octopus self-harm is extremely low. In fact, it’s almost non-existent.
- Octopuses are carnivores.
