Typically, a penis helps male animals reproduce sexually with a female-however, exceptions exist. One explanation for this research gap, says Willingham, is “because of who has been asking the questions until quite recently, and who's been deciding how those questions should be answered.” Penises have been a longstanding subject of scientific fascination, and they’re far more studied than vaginas. Phallacy plunges readers into the wild and wacky world of animal genitalia while exploring the social and cultural significance of penises as symbols of power and identity. Her book, Phallacy: Life Lessons from the Animal Penis, hit shelves in September. Just ask Emily Willingham, a biologist and journalist who’s been studying penises for over a decade. The more scientists learn about penises, the more they realize how varied sex organs are. Across vastly different species and ecosystems, unique environmental pressures have allowed creatures of many species to evolve an array of shapes and sizes-from the electric blue penis of the leopard slug to the blue whale’s ten-foot phallus. If that's the case, it also makes sense that they choose to discard their penises, just like a doctor would if they had a dirty syringe.Birds have them, bees have them, even regular old fleas have them, but in the animal kingdom, no penis is exactly like the next. Researchers speculate that the penile spines are there to remove any rival sperm from another male. It's also important to note that these tiny sea creatures are hermaphrodites, meaning that while mating, both of the partners will give and receive sperm. Scientists are unsure whether these tiny creatures can regenerate their penis once their sex life comes to a halt or if it is a one-and-done ordeal. The good thing is, even once they're done using their penis, they have two more disposable penis segments hidden beneath the surface of their skin. This single-use penis will extend just 1 centimeter out of the slug's body, even though it is three centimeters long. The Chromodoris Reticulata, one species of sea slug, has a spined penis that can only be used once in its lifetime. When it comes to defecation and urination, this animal uses a cloaca, a small opening on its body. One thing separating Echnida's penile functionality from other terrestrial mammalian males is that its penis is solely used to mate. However, when it needs to be put to use, it will come out of its prenuptial sac. When the echidna isn't getting its jollies, its penis stays flaccid inside the body. The spines trigger ovulation to increase the fertilization success rate. Plus, similar to the rest of the echidna, its penis has a spiky coat made of sharp penile spines. One look at the female two-branch reproductive system, and this two-headed penis entrance begins to make a lot more sense. Because cetaceans never find themselves in ambient temperatures, they've found unique ways to compensate.īlue whales have blood in their veins that they send directly to their testicles, warming up their sperm and helping it to remain viable for use. A regular scrotum will lower when it reaches the ambient temperature to help keep its sperm viable. It's also worth noting that blue whales and other cetaceans do not have scrotums like most terrestrial mammalian males. When having intercourse with female blue whales, they can ejaculate multiple gallons of sperm. Each blue whale testicle can weigh up to 150 pounds, about the same weight as the average adult male human. The largest penis in the animal kingdom can easily weigh a couple hundred pounds, but the largest blue whale penis ever recorded weighed 800 - 900 pounds!įUN FACT: The largest penis of any adult land animal goes to the adult elephant, which can surprisingly grow up to six feet long on average.īecause they're the biggest whales in the world, it's no surprise that they've got giant testicles.
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