This seems to be less common than the baculum, although we do know that at least some bats, rodents, and carnivores do also have one. In his dissection of what was then the newly discovered lemur species Milne-Edwards sifaka ( Propithecus edwardsi), he also noticed something else which, while known in scientific circles, has tended to receive less attention: females of that species also have the same bone, known in their case as a baubellum or os clitoris. This was based on his dissection of a number of lemurs, including for example, the eastern woolly lemur ( Avahi laniger). Possibly the first naturalist to notice that at least some primates had one, too, was Alfred Grandidier, who published this fact in his humungous 40-volume history of Madagascar, completed in 1887. The bone has been observed in carnivoran mammals, including cats and dogs, as well as rodents, lagomorphs, and bats, among others. ![]() The bone in question goes by a number of different names, although baculum is probably the most common - others include os penis, or simply "penile bone". This sort of bone, however, is reasonably common among mammals, although we humans are by no means unique in lacking one. Humans do not, however, normally have a bone in their penis. And, generally, we'd be right - if a bone is there in humans, it's probably also there in other primates, and vice versa. There are rather more dramatic alterations in, say, horses and two-toed sloths, let alone dolphins.īut, still, when it comes to primates, we'd expect an even greater correlation between their skeletons and ours. For instance, dogs have no big toe on their hind feet, and, while they do have a full set of ankle bones, the metatarsal that would normally connect to the big toe isn't there, either. But, obviously, this isn't true of all mammals. For instance, the default pattern for the paws of mammals is that they all have four digits with three bones each, and one with just two bones (the thumb and big toe in humans). Of course, when we get into detail, there are many exceptions to this. Well, there's a reason giraffes can't bend their necks like swans. Famously, for example, a giraffe has exactly as many bones in the neck (seven) as humans do - they're just rather longer. Most of the bones that we see in the human skeleton are also found in the majority of mammals, and often in the same numbers. Decades of research and scientists still do not fully understand the baculum, but it seems they are inching ever closer.At a certain level, the skeletons of all mammals follow a broadly similar pattern. One of the biggest hurdles in figuring out the function of the baculum is that live observation of copulating mammals is needed-which, needless to say, is difficult when these parts of the anatomy are not easily exposed. ![]() Some have theorized, Richard Dawkins for one, that the baculum in humans has been lost because female humans seek “honest signals” of health meaning if the blood pressure in the male is good enough for a prolonged erection then they are healthy. Why then did humans get the short end of the stick when talking about penis bones? The baculum can at least prolong copulation by keeping the penis erect for longer-something humans achieve only by blood pressure changes. Most primates have a baculum, save for humans and two types of monkey. In 2007, an unbelievable 4.5 foot long baculum from a fossil walrus found in Siberia was sold to Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museums for $8,000. Not to be outdone, extinct walruses had even bigger bacula. Also the type of bone comprising the baculum in various species of mammal can dffer-for example, some rat bacula are made of strong lamellar bone indicating load bearing capabilities.īut which mammal has the most supreme baculum? That would be the walrus, with a penis that can reach up to 22” long. Some species of bats have bacula so expansive they take up almost 75% of the total penis length.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |