World’s First Female “Penis” Found, in Cave-Dwelling Bugs

Scientists have discovered the first female “penis” in the animal kingdom, a new study says.

Four new species of Brazilian cave-dwelling bugs have sex-reversed genitalia, so that the female uses her elaborate penis-like organ to penetrate the male’s vagina-like opening and collect his sperm.

“There’s nothing that [this] can be compared to,” said study co-author Rodrigo Ferreira, a professor at the Federal University of Lavras in Brazil. “This elaborate female penis is completely unique.”

While there are a handful of other known species in which male genitalia are reduced and the females have penetrating organs, none are so complex or have been shown to be so structurally and functionally similar to a penis, said Ferreira, whose study was published April 17 in the journal Current Biology.

“It was a surprise for all of us,” Ferreira said. “We were completely astonished when we first saw that structure.

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2014/04/17/insects-caves-animals-sex-mating-science-brazil/

  

Catch you all later or tomorrow

don't hyena's have the same or similar?

nicko wrote:don't hyena's have the same or similar?

i believe hyenas have a psuedopenis

How the hell did they work out it was the female with the penis? I presume that the one with the penis lays they eggs, so they class it as female. What if it's the other way round and it's the male laying the eggs? Nah, male going through birth, never happen lol

Uhum...sassy...............

X and Y chromosomes???????

victorisnotamused wrote:Uhum...sassy...............

X and Y chromosomes???????

Ah, never thought of those. Weird, really weird!

Quick, gimme the oxygen mask

Just found this:

Sex Chromosomes X-O:
Grasshoppers, roaches, and other insects have a similar system for determining the sex of an individual. Adult males lack a Y sex chromosome and have only an X chromosome. They produce sperm cells that contain either an X chromosome or no sex chromosome, which is designated as O. The females are XX and produce egg cells that contain an X chromosome. If an X sperm cell fertilizes an egg, the resulting zygote will be XX or female. If a sperm cell containing no sex chromosome fertilizes an egg, the resulting zygote will be XO or male.

http://biology.about.com/od/basicgenetics/p/chromosgender.htm

So in insects it's X and XX!

Irn Bru wrote:Quick, gimme the oxygen mask

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sassy wrote:How the hell did they work out it was the female with the penis?   I presume that the one with the penis lays they eggs, so they class it as female.   What if it's the other way round and it's the male laying the eggs?   Nah, male going through birth, never happen lol

Male Seahorses give birth so do Male pipefish i believe