The essay below 
The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research.
The animals’ sometimes astonishing sex lives, especially the enormous range of penile structures, are well known and have evolved to increase the number of offspring fathered by males. The echidna (also known as the spiny anteater) has a four-headed penis. But what about female genitalia?
For hundreds of years, scientists thought most animals didn’t have a clitoris. However, new discoveries are beginning to reveal that the female genitalia are just as interesting and diverse as the male genitalia.
The female reproductive tract often mirrors the male reproductive tract, and the female duck reproductive tract is also corkscrew-shaped and co-evolves for successful sperm transfer. However, scientists have found that the clitoris is often overlooked or overlooked.
The clitoris has been documented in several lizard species, such as geckos and monitor lizards, but had never been studied in snakes before, so many scientists assumed that the clitoris did not exist.
However, a study published in December 2022 revealed that snakes have not one but two under their tails. The clitoris, long misunderstood as an olfactory gland, exists in snakes and consists of two connected parts.
When scientists looked for it, they actually found clitoris (known as hemiclitoris in snakes and lizards) in nine species of snakes from four different families, including the cantilever viper, death adder, and carpet python. It is made up of erectile tissue and bundles of nerves, indicating that it is not just an underdeveloped penis, but probably has reproductive functions.
Why do we know so little about the clitoris?
Science was once dominated by men who were not as interested in female anatomy as they were in male anatomy.
Until recently, talking about the clitoris was totally socially unacceptable. Medieval witch-hunting guides called it the “devil’s nipple” and claimed that only witches had it.
The taboo is mainly because the clitoris is known to be a sexual organ and to give pleasure to humans.
The clitoris is an area with thousands of nerve cell endings and is extremely sensitive. Because it is made of the same tissue as the penis, it becomes congested and swells when excited. Muscle contraction occurs when the penis or clitoris is stimulated. These can lead to ejaculation in men, but what about women?
There is evidence that having an orgasm is associated with higher fertility. For example, artificial insemination studies in cows have found that stimulation of the clitoris helps increase pregnancy. Stimulation causes the reproductive tract to contract. As a result, more sperm can be drawn into the uterus, increasing the chances of successful fertilization.
when you start looking
The clitoris tends to be more prominent than in other species, such as non-human primates such as crocodiles and capuchin monkeys, and positioned to stimulate during mating (again, presumably to enhance reproductive success). In fact, stimulation of the clitoris can trigger ovulation in species such as rabbits and camels, which need to induce ovulation by mating.
Some studies have noted that female primates, such as macaques, experience orgasms both during mating and during self-stimulation or homosexual encounters. This is also true for bonobos who indulge in homosexual and heterosexual encounters for pleasure, to maintain pair bonds or resolve aggressive encounters.
In these species, as in dolphins, the clitoris is relatively large compared to other animals, facilitating homosexual stimulation. It’s similar to.
But the most prominent clitoris is that of the spotted hyena. Females urinate and give birth through a huge, penis-like clitoris, and may even exhibit an erectile dominance.
Most birds do not have a penis or clitoris. Instead, it has a single opening called the cloaca, which is used by both males and females for reproduction as well as excretion. Interestingly, female ostriches have a clitoris that complements the male’s penis.
Therefore, where there is a penis, there is a good chance that there is also a clitoris.
This article originally appeared on The Conversation. Please read the original article.
