"That's because becoming a father in the wild is more competitive - and success is more down to chance. In comparison, humans have a less competitive and more pair-bonded mating ritual, in that a man and a woman tend to be together as they try for a baby. As a result, we've not had to develop these extreme penile features such as bones and backward-facing spines."
"As Professor Spear explains, non-human penises tend to be more elaborate because they are adapted for 'sperm competition'. This is when multiple males mate with the same female, and their sperm compete internally for fertilisation. Essentially, various weird and wonderful penises in the animal kingdom are used as a 'competitive tool'. The domestic cat, for instance, has backward-facing spines on its penis. These stimulate ovulation in the female, ensuring sperm meets a ready egg, but also discourage mating with other males by making withdrawal painful."
Human penises are relatively conservative and uniform compared with many animal species. Non-human penises often display spikes, corkscrew shapes, detachable parts, or bones to increase insemination success. Elaborate penile morphology commonly functions in sperm competition when multiple males mate with the same female, causing internal sperm competition for fertilisation. Specific adaptations can stimulate ovulation, impede rival mating, or bypass female reproductive tract barriers. Examples include cats with backward-facing spines, bedbugs that pierce the abdominal wall, and ducks with rapidly extending corkscrew penises. Pair-bonded human mating reduces sperm competition, explaining the lack of extreme penile adaptations.
Read at Mail Online
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