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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.
Female spotted hyenas have a clitoris 90 percent as long and the same diameter as a male penis (171 millimetres long and 22 millimetres in diameter), [13] and this pseudo-penis' formation seems largely androgen-independent because it appears in the female fetus before differentiation of the fetal ovary and adrenal gland. [24]
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 spotted hyena is the largest extant member of the Hyaenidae, and is further physically distinguished from other species by its vaguely bear-like build, [5] rounded ears, [6] less prominent mane, spotted pelt, [7] more dual-purposed dentition, [8] fewer nipples, [9] and pseudo-penis.
Female spotted hyenas have a clitoris 90 percent as long and the same diameter as a male penis (171 millimetres long and 22 millimetres in diameter), [208] and this pseudo-penis' formation seems largely androgen-independent because it appears in the female fetus before differentiation of the fetal ovary and adrenal gland. [206]
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 ...
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. When a female spotted hyena gives birth, she passes the cub through the cervix internally, but then passes it ...
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. [24] Domestic cats have barbed penises, with about 120–150 one millimetre long backwards-pointing spines. [25]