Wednesday, December 21, 2022

First evidence that Snakes Have Clitorises (hemiclitores)

Sex sells in many forms and ways! So in the 21st century we are finally able to confirm that snakes have hemiclitores? The clitoris was not even hidden (non-eversible) unlike other reptiles. The abstract could have been written by a feminist! 😊

"... Now, a study published today (December 13) in Proceedings of the Royal Society B sets the record straight: the snake clitoris not only exists, it may also play important roles in reproduction. ..."

From the abstract:
"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 snakes. We describe morphological variation in size and shape (n = 9 species, 4 families) that is potentially comparable to the male intromittent organs in squamate reptiles (hemipenes). Dissection, diffusible iodine contrast-enhanced micro-CT and histology revealed that, unlike lizard hemiclitores, the snake hemiclitores are non-eversible structures. The two individual hemiclitores are separated medially by connective tissue, forming a triangular structure that extends posteriorly. Histology of the hemiclitores in Australian death adders (Acanthophis antarcticus) showed erectile tissue and strands/bundles of nerves, but no spines (as is found in male hemipenes). These histological features suggest the snake hemiclitores have functional significance in mating and definitively show that the hemiclitores are not underdeveloped hemipenes or scent glands, which have been erroneously indicated in other studies. Our discovery supports that hemiclitores have been retained across squamates and provides preliminary evidence of differences in this structure among snake species, which can be used to further understand systematics, reproductive evolution and ecology across squamate reptiles."

Snakes Have Clitorises After All, Study Finds | The Scientist Magazine® Researchers visualize the snake clitoris in detail for the first time, finding evidence that the organ may be evolutionarily important for snake sex.


Figure 1. Macroanatomy of the snakes hemiclitores (not exactly pornographic, but explicit 😊)


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