SPERM GRENADE

As Valentines Day approaches, I thought I would entertain us all with the biological concept that “life is about getting knocked up”.  Specifically, organisms are designed to reproduce and we can thank our ancestors for their commitment to this concept (otherwise you wouldn’t be here… DUH!)  So, to get us rolling, I would like to spend a few moments discussing “sperm grenades” (a term I discovered in “Nature’s Nether Regions” by Menno Schilthuizen).  Sperm grenades are found in squid.  They are actually bundles of sperm enclosed in a several layers of membrane and technically called a “spermatophore”.  Obviously we will use the term “sperm grenade” because it is fun.  The sperm grenade is produced by the male squid and deposited into the female’s body cavity.  The outer covering of the grenade busts (often in response to contact with salt water), a spring unfurls, abrasive spikes cut a hole in the membranes, and a cement-like substance sticks the whole thing to the female.  Geez,  male squid have a lot of “stick-to-it-ness”!