Mating Triopha catalinae from Canada

July 13, 2005
From: Paul Sim


Hi Bill,
I thought I might share this mating spectacle I happened on one day.

Locality:  Johnson Point, Seymour Inlet, British Columbia, Canada. Pacific Ocean. Depth: 50 feet. Length: 2 inches. 09 September 2004. rocky bottom. Photographer: Paul Sim

This pair of Triopha catalinae seemed pretty oblivious to my paparazzi-like invasion so I kept blazing away with the strobes and came away with these. The darndest thing was that while I was watching their very sensual display (rubbing and rearing up on one another) I couln't help but think they were enjoying themselves. Could these primitive animals have emotions?

Paul Sim

plsim@shaw.ca

Sim, P., 2005 (Jul 13) Mating Triopha catalinae from Canada. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/14241

Dear Paul,
I guess one problem with animal behaviour studies is the ease with which we can transfer our emotions and behaviours to those of the animals being observed.

However if you follow the 'selfish gene' theory of evolution which proposes that the main aim of an organism is to pass on its genes to the next generation, then you would expect organisms to evolve ways of encouraging such behaviour. Whether a slug's response to various stimuli can be described as pleasure or pain is beyond me, although I am sure that as we speak there are a whole army of scientists out there with microprobes embedded in mollusc nerve cells studying such things. There is a serious side to this work however.  Dr Eric Kandel has recently received the Nobel Prize for pioneering work he did, sticking microprobes into the ganglia of Sea Hares, to develop theories on learning.

Thanks for the photos,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (Jul 13). Comment on Mating Triopha catalinae from Canada by Paul Sim. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/14241

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