Synopsis
Some male cuttlefish are too small to fight for a mate, so have to come up with a sneaky plan if they are to get their way with the girls. Approaching a cuttlefish couple a smaller male assumes the role of a female, tucking up his tentacles and changing colour in an attempt to fool the large male who stands guard over the female. The large male thinks his luck is in with two females after his attention and is completed fooled by the small newcomer. As long as he avoids being grabbed in the mating embrace the cross-dresser is safe. Surreptitiously the female who's not too picky, mates with the smaller, sneaky male right in front of the large male. The eggs she now lays will contain a mixture of sperm from both fathers, giving her eggs the best possible chance of success.
- Programme: Life
- Episode: Creatures of the Deep
- Channel: BBC One
- Broadcast year: 2009
- Biology
Licence: ERA Licence required
UK only
Staff and students of licensed education establishments only
Cannot be adapted
Add Notes
More clips from Life
8: Creatures of the Deep | Life
8: Creatures of the Deep | Life
Nature documentary series looks at marine invertebrates, some of the planet's most bizarre and beautiful animals, including Humboldt squid an...
Spiked | Life
Spiked | Life
The sun star starfish is a predator that dwells at the bottom of our oceans. However, when under attack, a sea urchin can move each of its spikes independently...
8: Creatures of the Deep | Life
8: Creatures of the Deep | Life
Nature documentary series looks at marine invertebrates, some of the planet's most bizarre and beautiful animals, including Humboldt squid an...
Spiked | Life
Spiked | Life
The sun star starfish is a predator that dwells at the bottom of our oceans. However, when under attack, a sea urchin can move each of its spikes independently...
8: Creatures of the Deep | Life
8: Creatures of the Deep | Life
Nature documentary series looks at marine invertebrates, some of the planet's most bizarre and beautiful animals, including Humboldt squid an...
Spiked | Life
Spiked | Life
The sun star starfish is a predator that dwells at the bottom of our oceans. However, when under attack, a sea urchin can move each of its spikes independently...
8: Creatures of the Deep | Life
8: Creatures of the Deep | Life
Nature documentary series looks at marine invertebrates, some of the planet's most bizarre and beautiful animals, including Humboldt squid an...
Spiked | Life
Spiked | Life
The sun star starfish is a predator that dwells at the bottom of our oceans. However, when under attack, a sea urchin can move each of its spikes independently...
More resources about Living Things and Their Habitats
Greenhouse Gases | Climate Change: The Facts
Greenhouse Gases | Climate Change: The Facts
A discussion of the devastating impact of burning fossil fuels.
Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?
Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?
From colossal farms in America to the destruction of the Amazon, Liz Bonnin investigates how our hunger for meat is killing our planet.
9: The Rise Of The Mammals | Life On Earth
9: The Rise Of The Mammals | Life On Earth
Mammals have proved to be one of the most adaptable products of evolution. David Attenborough looks at their evolution from reptil...
Carbon in the ocean | Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
Carbon in the ocean | Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
Dr Helen Czerski explains how carbon is incorporated into the ocean and how the increase in carbon intake is impac...
Plants in cold environments | The Private Life of Plants
Plants in cold environments | The Private Life of Plants
David Attenborough describes how certain plant species adapt to cold weather.
01: The Living Forest | Landmarks
01: The Living Forest | Landmarks
The Living Forest looks at all the animals & plants that live in the forest on the ground to the forest canopy, & shows how they live in ba...
02: People of the Forest | Landmarks
02: People of the Forest | Landmarks
People of the Forest looks at the Baka of the Cameroon & the Kayapo of South America & how their lives work in balance with the rainforest.
03: Destroying the Forest | Landmarks
03: Destroying the Forest | Landmarks
By the next century, the rainforests of the world could have disappeared for ever, destroyed by outside influences and economic pressur...
04: Saving the Forest | Landmarks
04: Saving the Forest | Landmarks
Despite the destruction, there are ways to save the forest, by careful harvesting, protecting, learning, replanting, policing - and campaig...
3: Coral Reefs | Blue Planet II
3: Coral Reefs | Blue Planet II
The wildlife documentary series narrated by David Attenborough reveals the ingenious ways life exists in the undersea cities of tropical reefs.
4: Big Blue | Blue Planet II
4: Big Blue | Blue Planet II
The wildlife documentary series narrated by David Attenborough explores a vast ocean desert where sperm whales must dive 1,000 metres just to feed.
Cattle feedyard | Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?
Cattle feedyard | Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?
Liz Bonnin visits a cattle feedyard, a mass factory farm, that contains about 50,000 cows.
Cotton production and the Aral Sea crisis | Stacey Dooley
Cotton production and the Aral Sea crisis | Stacey Dooley
Stacey Dooley visits the Aral Sea Basin in Kazakhstan, which has almost entirely dried up due to cotton production.
Piling on pounds | Life
Piling on pounds | Life
Brown bears take advantage of a salmon run to fatten up for the winter.
Sustainable meat production | Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?
Sustainable meat production | Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?
Liz Bonnin discusses the importance of understanding the process behind the meat we eat (warning: this clip conta...
The carbon cycle and global warming | Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
The carbon cycle and global warming | Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
The carbon cycle process is being overwhelmed by the amount of carbon dioxide released into the at...
The smallest fox with the biggest ears! | Super Cute Animals (video)
The smallest fox with the biggest ears! | Super Cute Animals (video)
The fennec's ears help it to survive in the heat of the desert dunes.
1: One Ocean | Blue Planet II
1: One Ocean | Blue Planet II
Wildlife documentary series presented by David Attenborough, revealing new worlds and animal behaviours throughout the planet's oceans.
6: Coasts | Blue Planet II
6: Coasts | Blue Planet II
The wildlife series narrated by David Attenborough explores the planet's coasts. They are the most changeable of the ocean worlds, but they offer ...
A wheelie good defence | Africa
A wheelie good defence | Africa
A golden wheel spider escapes the threat of a pompilid spider wasp in an amazing way.
More from Sir David Attenborough
3: Deserts and Grasslands | Planet Earth III
3: Deserts and Grasslands | Planet Earth III
David Attenborough explores earth's greatest wildernesses, where extraordinary life survives in unexpected ways, and nature puts...
The mystery of the whale shark nursery | Blue Planet II
The mystery of the whale shark nursery | Blue Planet II
Nutrients from the deep provide sustenance for a large gathering of sea life.
Ants vs Cows | Natural World
Ants vs Cows | Natural World
The super colony unites in a spectacular attack to defend their nest from curious cows.
3: Jungles | Planet Earth II
3: Jungles | Planet Earth II
Jungles provide the richest habitats on the planet - mysterious worlds of high drama where extraordinary animals attempt to survive in the most ...
Lizard Heaters | Life in Cold Blood
Lizard Heaters | Life in Cold Blood
Wall lizards take advantage of foul-smelling dead-horse arums.
How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth? | Horizon
How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth? | Horizon
Naturalist Sir David Attenborough investigates whether the world faces a population crisis and if it is the duty of indiv...
6: Ice Worlds | Planet Earth
6: Ice Worlds | Planet Earth
Documentary series which celebrates earth in its natural glory. How the advance and retreat of the ice in the polar regions becomes a real chall...
Weighty wanderers | Life in the Freezer
Weighty wanderers | Life in the Freezer
With a wingspan of over 3m, the wandering albatross has the biggest feeding range of any bird. Throughout the winter they remain in n...
Our Precious Isles | Wild Isles
Our Precious Isles | Wild Isles
David Attenborough celebrates the rich variety of habitats in our wild isles, the existence of which is critical for the survival of species ...
2: Water Worlds | The Green Planet
2: Water Worlds | The Green Planet
A look at the beautiful, bizarre worlds created by water plants. Flowers smother rivers and lakes. Plants fight and hunt. A river bubbles ...
David Attenborough | The Queen's Platinum Jubilee
David Attenborough | The Queen's Platinum Jubilee
David Attenborough speaks about the environment. Also, includes footage of the drones that turn into animals.
Greta meets David Attenborough | Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World
Greta meets David Attenborough | Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World
Greta Thunberg and David Attenborough discuss their hopes for the future of the planet.
COP26 delegates and climate scientists | Climate Change: The Facts
COP26 delegates and climate scientists | Climate Change: The Facts
COP26 delegates and climate scientist Hannah Cloke discuss their hopes for the COP26 conference.
Poison dart frogs battle it out | Attenborough's Life in Colour
Poison dart frogs battle it out | Attenborough's Life in Colour
A poison dart frog fights off a contender until he's sufficiently warned off.
The People v Climate Change
The People v Climate Change
Meet the 108 ordinary Brits who Sir David Attenborough says we should listen to. This warm and honest documentary reveals how everyday people fee...
Mate or die trying | Seven Worlds, One Planet
Mate or die trying | Seven Worlds, One Planet
A male Jotus spider waves it paddle-like limbs to attract a mate.
Self-sacrificing fish | Life
Self-sacrificing fish | Life
Flying fish can leave the water and soar great distances on their elongated fins to escape from predators below the waves. But finding a place t...
How human impact on the environment is increasing the emergence of new diseases | Extinction: The Facts
How human impact on the environment is increasing the emergence of new diseases | Extinction: The Facts
An explanation as to why pandemic diseases are becoming more common d...
Tait's pups meet the pack… and honey badgers | Dynasties
Tait's pups meet the pack… and honey badgers | Dynasties
Tait introduces her tiny pups to the rest of the pack as they emerge for the very first time. But the pack is visi...
Marine predators team up | The Blue Planet
Marine predators team up | The Blue Planet
A variety of marine predators team up to capitalise on a large group of migrating sardines.