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Researchers found the first evidence of a two-part sexual organ called a hemiclitoris in all nine species of female snakes they examined
Scientists finally found the clitoris on snakes – and there are two
Researchers found the first evidence of a two-part sexual organ called a hemiclitoris in all nine species of female snakes they examined
www.newscientist.com
Scientist wants to settle a debate:
“There’s a lot known about male snake genitalia, but not so much – really anything – known about females,” says Megan Folwell at the University of Adelaide in Australia. Previous research was “kind of all over the place about whether the snake clitoris existed”. Wanting to settle the debate, Folwell and her colleagues began dissecting female snake specimens from the University of Michigan’s zoology collection.
Turns out, it was just right there the entire time and no one bothered to check:
Folwell says it didn’t take much searching. “You peel back the skin and it’s right there in front of you,” she says. They found hemiclitores in all nine species they looked at, and all were located on the underside of the snake’s tail.
In describing the clitoris:
The team also found that, like male snakes’ and lizards’ two-part hemipenes, females’ hemiclitores are comprised of sensitive nerves and erectile tissue. But unlike hemipenes, the females’ hemiclitores lack spines and hooks thought to assist in mating.
This could be the first confirmation on the existence of the clitoris from a male scientist:
The work “provides indisputable evidence that [the clitoris] is there, and it’s large, and it’s complex”, says Richard Shine at Macquarie University in Australia who was not involved in the work. “It’s a great leap forward in our understanding of sexual anatomy in reptiles.”
Full paper here for the curious:
First evidence of hemiclitores in snakes | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Female genitalia are conspicuously overlooked in comparison to their male counterparts, limiting our understanding of sexual reproduction across vertebrate lineages. This study is the first complete description of the clitoris (hemiclitores) in female ...
royalsocietypublishing.org