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Male and female reproductive systems of the spotted hyena. In mammals, all intact developmentally typical males have a penis, but the clitoris in the females of the following species is sufficiently enlarged that it is usually termed a pseudo-penis: spotted hyena, [1] [2] juvenile fossa, [3] binturong, [4] lemur [5] and spider monkey.
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 is traversed to its tip by a central urogenital canal, through which the female urinates, copulates and gives birth. [ 54 ] [ 55 ] The pseudo-penis can be distinguished from the males' genitalia by its somewhat shorter length, greater thickness, and more rounded glans .
The female striped hyena's genitalia are transiently masculinized, [17] although it lacks the enlarged clitoris and false scrotal sack noted in the female genitalia of the spotted hyena. [18] The female has 3 pairs of nipples. [19] Adult weight can range from 22 to 55 kg (49 to 121 lb), averaging at about 35 kg (77 lb).
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 female spotted hyena has a unique urinary-genital system, closely resembling the penis of the male, called a pseudo-penis. Dominance relationships with strong sexual elements are routinely observed between related females.
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.
[24] [26] That designation is typically reserved for those who simultaneously exhibit features of both sexes; [26] the genetic makeup of female spotted hyenas "are clearly distinct" from male spotted hyenas. [24] [26] Female spotted hyenas have a clitoris 90 percent as long and the same diameter as a male penis (171 millimetres long and 22 ...