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Sea animal has grow-again penis
Phys.Org ^ | 02-13-13 | Staff

Posted on 02/13/2013 10:51:57 AM PST by Red Badger

Scientists reported Wednesday on the bizarre sex life of a sea slug that discards its penis after copulation. Then grows a new one.

"No other animal is known to repeatedly copulate using such 'disposable penes'," Japanese biologists wrote in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters, describing the behaviour as "extremely peculiar". Dubbed Chromodoris reticulata in Latin, the red-and-white slug—technically a shell-less mollusc—inhabits warms waters in Southeast Asia. The critter needs 24 hours between couplings to unroll an internally coiled and compressed juvenile penis to replace the used, external bit, the scientists found. It can repeat this feat at least three times. The human thumb-sized slug is an hermaphrodite, meaning it has both male and female sexual organs. The animals perform dual sexual roles during copulation. They give sperm to a mating partner while simultaneously receiving sperm, which they store for later insemination. The team observed copulation between sea slugs that they had captured during scuba dives and held in a tank. After each coupling, which lasted between dozens of seconds and a few minutes, every slug discarded its penis—a thread-like organ that it projects from its side into a partner's vagina. The team also examined the microscopic structure and function of the male organs—observing an internal spiral structure they believe grows into a replacement penis. "We propose that the tissue at the spiral part of the penis is compressed and undifferentiated, gradually differentiating into the 'next penis'," the team wrote. "It may need approximately a day for the spiral structure to be ready for copulation." In another revelation about the sea slug's sex life, the scientists found its penis was covered with spines—and suggested these may be used to remove the sperm of previous partners being held in store by their mate. The spines are backward-pointing, making it difficult to withdraw the penis after copulation. This may explain the organ's disposable nature.

"Chromodoris reticulata may compensate for the short-term cost of decreased reproductive opportunities caused by the loss of a penis with the reproductive advantage gained by sperm displacement," wrote the study authors. Various animals are known to discard parts of their body, such as the gecko which sheds its tail. Few, though, are willing to part with their penis, the team noted with clinical understatement.


TOPICS: Pets/Animals; Science; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: marinebiology; napl
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Two sea-slugs (Godiva banyulensis) from the Glaucidae familia swim in the Mediterranean sea, 29 July 2004, off the town of Kas, Turkey. Scientists reported Wednesday on the bizarre sex life of a sea slug that discards its penis after copulation. Then grows a new one.

1 posted on 02/13/2013 10:52:02 AM PST by Red Badger
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To: Slings and Arrows; Lazamataz; martin_fierro

Disposable Penis Ping!...........


2 posted on 02/13/2013 10:53:39 AM PST by Red Badger (Lincoln freed the slaves. Obama just got them ALL back......................)
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To: Red Badger

Penis-discarding-hermaphodites, UNITE!

You have nothing to lose but your....

(Soon to become a protected group!)


3 posted on 02/13/2013 10:55:59 AM PST by left that other site (Worry is the darkroom that developes negatives.)
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To: Red Badger

Why does a particular song by King Missile immediately spring to mind?


4 posted on 02/13/2013 10:56:10 AM PST by AnAmericanAbroad (It's all bread and circuses for the future prey of the Morlocks.)
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To: Red Badger

Lorena Bobbit does not approve.


5 posted on 02/13/2013 10:57:11 AM PST by corkoman (Release the Palin!)
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To: AnAmericanAbroad
It’s detachable.

;)

6 posted on 02/13/2013 10:57:11 AM PST by allmendream (Tea Party did not send GOP to D.C. to negotiate the terms of our surrender to socialism)
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To: Red Badger

In before the Bobbitt comment.


7 posted on 02/13/2013 10:57:24 AM PST by manic4organic (It was nice knowing you, America.)
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To: corkoman

Dangit. 13 seconds.


8 posted on 02/13/2013 10:58:03 AM PST by manic4organic (It was nice knowing you, America.)
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To: AnAmericanAbroad

Its called the BOBITT Slug...
actually lets get to work in this medical companies...I would buy a couple of extras just in case....


9 posted on 02/13/2013 10:58:12 AM PST by Youngman542012
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To: Red Badger

Has its own penis *and* vagina. If only...


10 posted on 02/13/2013 10:58:31 AM PST by twister881
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To: manic4organic

LOL! You didn’t make it!...........


11 posted on 02/13/2013 10:58:37 AM PST by Red Badger (Lincoln freed the slaves. Obama just got them ALL back......................)
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To: Red Badger
detachable penis
12 posted on 02/13/2013 10:58:50 AM PST by GQuagmire
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To: Red Badger

Cue the King Missile song.


13 posted on 02/13/2013 10:58:54 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: Red Badger
internally coiled and compressed

Shrinkage

14 posted on 02/13/2013 10:59:07 AM PST by llevrok (The only thing Obama has achieved are rapid executive orders.)
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To: Youngman542012

Do they live off the coast of San Francisco


15 posted on 02/13/2013 10:59:37 AM PST by Youngman542012
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To: dfwgator

What is this ‘King Missle’ song people are posting?.........


16 posted on 02/13/2013 11:00:06 AM PST by Red Badger (Lincoln freed the slaves. Obama just got them ALL back......................)
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To: corkoman

“Lorena Bobbit does not approve.”

In the bedroom, the upstairs bedroom, the Bobbit sleeps tonight.

In the kitchen, the downstairs kitchen, Lorena grabs a knife.

A weenie whack, a weenie whack ...


17 posted on 02/13/2013 11:01:20 AM PST by USMCPOP (Father of LCpl. Karl Linn, KIA 1/26/2005 Al Haqlaniyah, Iraq)
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To: Red Badger

See #12.


18 posted on 02/13/2013 11:01:28 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator

I remember that from an old Beavis and Butthead heh heh...he said penis heh heh


19 posted on 02/13/2013 11:06:25 AM PST by bigbob
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To: Red Badger

Where exactly does the used one go?


20 posted on 02/13/2013 11:07:06 AM PST by ImJustAnotherOkie (zerogottago)
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