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Natural tranquilliser in cephalopod eggs

Abstract

THE hatching gland of cephalopods1–5 is fully differentiated and may fulfil its function before the embryo has reached a stage of development sufficiently advanced for life in the open sea6,7. It is not known why premature hatching occurs only in clearly artificial conditions. Investigations of the properties of the perivitelline fluid (PVF) of squid eggs have given us an important clue: this fluid acts as a tranquilliser on the young animals as they approach the end of embryonic development.

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MARTHY, HJ., HAUSER, R. & SCHOLL, A. Natural tranquilliser in cephalopod eggs. Nature 261, 496–497 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/261496a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/261496a0

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