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Many animals have clitoris, which is the female genitalia, but experts say they have not been adequately studied.
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Scientists recently discovered that female snakes have a two-part clitoris.
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Learning about the sexual organs in the animal kingdom can teach us more about human anatomy.
Scientists know a lot about the male reproductive organs of animals. But compared to the penis, the clitoris is shrouded in mystery.
Both penis and clitoris develop from the same tissue, so they share many similarities. Understanding these structures in depth will not only reveal the biology and evolution of the genitals in the animal kingdom, but can also tell us about our own sexuality.
“In biology, we’ve taken the male body for decades – even centuries – as the norm. The female is like weird aberration,” Patricia Brennan, a genital morphologist at Mount Holyoke College, told Insider. I’m trying to fill in the unknown areas of female reproductive biology.”
In recent years, she said, there has been more interest in the field, mostly from young female researchers. “I think they will be the ones who will be able to answer a lot of questions in the years to come.”
Brennan said the clitoris is found in all terrestrial vertebrates, including lizards, snakes, crocodiles, turtles and mammals. The only known exceptions are birds.
From snakes to bottlenose dolphins, here are some of the most impressive and interesting clitoris in the animal kingdom.
Also, in case you were wondering (we were), the plural form of “clitoris” is “clitoris.” “Clitorides” is also acceptable if you want to be more technical.
Scientists find clitoris in female snakes
In December, researchers made the first major description of the female snake clitoris.
In a study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, scientists looked at nine snake species from different parts of the world, including Australia, Central America and South America.
They found that all the female snakes studied had either a double clitoris or a hemiclitoris, a two-part clitoris.
“We found them in all the species we looked at,” said Brennan, a co-author of the study. “In fact, it is the first morphological description of a snake with a clitoris.”
Using modern anatomical tools, the researchers closely examined the cellular structure of the clitoris in Australian death adders, a venomous snake species. They found that it consists of erectile tissue and nerve bundles.
Brennan said that the fact that snake species have intersex individuals has increased confusion about the creature’s genitals over the years.
Lizards have a 2-part clitoris that they can insert back into their bodies.
Like snakes, their closest cousins, lizards, have a two-part hemicletoris.
They were first described in 1995 as “miniature mirror images of the hemipenes of males” in female monitor lizards.
Brennan said the lizards’ hemiclitoris are reversible, meaning they can be removed from the body and reintroduced.
Bonobos rub their enlarged clitoris together
Female bonobos have enlarged clitoris between their legs. They rub their clitoris against each other – a process called genital-genital friction.
Scientists perceive this as an attempt to greet or dissipate tension.
Spotted hyenas have 8-inch clitoris
According to researchers, a hyena’s clitoris extends about 8 inches from its body and comes with a pair of testicles, but it’s actually their fused labia. They use it to pee and mate.
What’s more, as Insider previously reported, the hyena’s clitoris also has a birth canal that’s only an inch in diameter. As a result, pushing a pup through this channel can often be fatal.
Bottlenose dolphins have clitoris that may be for sexual pleasure.
The clitoris of female bottlenose dolphins are similar to humans.
In a January 2022 study, Brennan and other researchers analyzed the clitoris from 11 female bottlenose dolphins who died of natural causes.
Their findings suggest that, as with human females, the dolphin’s clitoris provides pleasure during sex.
Read the original article on Business Insider
