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The mammalian pseudo-penis appears to be simply for display, though the spotted hyena is an exception: the female spotted hyena urinates, copulates, and gives birth through her pseudo-penis. This prevents males from mating without the full co-operation of females, which means that mating preferences of the female are predominant.
Sexual mimicry can play a role in the development of a species' social system. Perhaps the most extreme example of this can be seen in the spotted hyena, Crocuta crocuta. [1] Female hyenas of all ages possess pseudomasculinized genitalia, including a pseudopenis formed from the clitoris, and a false scrotum formed from the labia.
The pseudo-penis and pseudo-scrotum, which are actually a masculinized vulva, closely resemble the male hyena's genitalia, but can be distinguished from the male by the female's greater thickness and more rounded glans. [23] Domestic cats have barbed penises, with about 120–150 one millimetre long backwards-pointing spines. [24]
A female spotted hyena's apparent penis is in fact an enlarged clitoris, which contains an external birth canal. [ 29 ] [ 30 ] It can be difficult to determine the sex of spotted hyenas until sexual maturity , when they may become pregnant.
The bulk of the NatGeo episode follows a pack of hyenas and a pride of lions, both with female leaders. The story of the hyenas is one of a transfer of power from one matriarch to another ...
Males in most hyena species are larger than females, [34] though the spotted hyena is an exception, as it is the female of the species that outweighs and dominates the male. Also, unlike other hyenas, the female spotted hyena's external genitalia closely resembles that of the male. [35]
The luckier party scrams back to the van, which has meanwhile attracted unwelcome interest from a pack of hyenas. “Endangered Species” is at once formulaic and a tad bizarre.
Both male and female reindeer grow antlers. This is a trait that no other species in the deer family possesses. The reason, a peculiar result of circumstances and biological luck, reflects