this post was submitted on 25 Mar 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Are there any guesses as to why they evolved this way? What advantage does this have over penetrative sex?

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago

Maybe it’s only advantageous if u spend most of your time hanging from a ceiling by your toes

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

So why might the serotine bat have evolved such an enormous sex organ? The authors suggest that females might use their tail membranes to avoid mating, and the males' long, thick penises could be used to push that membrane aside. "The hollow structure observed in the dorsal side of the erect penis might serve as a suction cup and support the maintenance of the copulatory contact," the authors wrote. "Therefore, the penis's size, shape, and prolonged embrace might further support the transport of sperm cells into the vagina and through the long cervix."

Source

This only partially answers the question of why, though.