Female snakes have clitorises, scientists have detailed for the first time in a study of the animal’s sex organs.
The scientists say previous research had mistaken the organs as scent glands or underdeveloped versions of penises, in a study that criticised the comparatively limited research into female sex organs.
In a study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the researchers found that snakes have two individual clitorises – hemiclitores – separated by tissue and hidden by skin on the underside of the tail.
“Female genitalia are conspicuously overlooked in comparison to their male counterparts, limiting our understanding of sexual reproduction across vertebrate lineages,” the study’s authors wrote.
So scientists are like men then. Can’t find the damn thing (s). The next interesting question – do male snakes care?
Good for Mrs Sunak, I suppose.
“Female genitalia are conspicuously overlooked in comparison to their male counterparts…”
Very true. There’s nothing more familiar and talked about than snake cock.
“previous research had mistaken the organs as … underdeveloped versions of penises”
In my ignorance, I always thought that that’s what clits are. Has the science changed? Or the culture? Or was I always misinformed?
Female snakes have clitorises, scientists have detailed for the first time in a study of the animal’s sex organs.
I…
I…
I have no idea what to do with this information.
I have no idea what to do with this information.
I’m going with “never heard it in the first place”.
“The next interesting question – do male snakes care?”
Yes.. It explains a lot of their courting behavior, and prevents them from being seen as Lunch/Threat/Annoyance while doing that courting.
Trouser-snakes do not have clits.
But what about trouser snakes?
As Stephen J Gould explained in Bully for Brontosaurus (in the chapter “Male Nipples and Clitoral Ripples”), the clitoris is a vestigial female penis, similar to male nipples. There’s no great selective pressure to eliminate it, so it remains, but it hasn’t evolved to provide female pleasure during intercourse, because 99% of animals do so ‘doggy style’ (being quadrupeds), which provides little opportunity for clitoral stimulation.
@Chris Miller,
Don’t you reach round?
The next interesting question – do male snakes care?
That depends entirely on whether female snakes can complain.
One more question for science to answer.
As a letter to Private Eye said a decade or so ago, “clitoris, being Greek, has as its plural clitorides, though some of your readers may find that a bit of a mouthful”
I thought the clitorides was a group of Greek islands. No wonder the Easyjet booking office lady was confused. She couldn’t find them either.