Animals have evolved many different ways of protecting themselves, from prickly quills and razor-sharp teeth to clever camouflage and sturdy shells. Now, scientists have discovered a surprising new technique that appears to be a defense mechanism: Some male octopuses use venom to avoid being eaten by their female mates.

Male blue-lined octopuses inject females with venom during mating to avoid being eaten, temporarily paralyzing their partners, a new study has found. The blue-lined octopus (Hapalochlaena fasciata) is a small yet highly poisonous cephalopod commonly found in shallow reefs and tide pools.

A team of neurologists, environmentalists and bioengineers at the University of Queensland, in Australia, has found that male blue-lined octopuses paralyze females prior to mating to avoid being eaten.