By Katie Reilly
The Seattle Aquarium cancelled its annual Valentine’s Day viewing party of an octopus mating session out of fear that the love might devolve into cannibalism.
The aquarium’s male octopus, Kong, weighs 70 pounds and is roughly twice the size of the female octopuses, who weigh 30 to 40 pounds, KOMO 4 reports.
Aquarium staff will instead release Kong back into the Puget Sound on Monday afternoon, an event that will actually prolong his life for some time because an octopus dies shortly after mating.
[KOMO 4]
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Biden Dropped Out
- Ukraine’s Plan to Survive Trump
- The Rise of a New Kind of Parenting Guru
- The Chaos and Commotion of the RNC in Photos
- Why We All Have a Stake in Twisters’ Success
- 8 Eating Habits That Actually Improve Your Sleep
- Welcome to the Noah Lyles Olympics
- Get Our Paris Olympics Newsletter in Your Inbox
Write to Katie Reilly at Katie.Reilly@time.com