A new study explains why human males have no penis bone, unlike monkeys, chimpanzees, and bears. The study, called “Postcopulatory sexual selection influences baculum evolution in primates and carnivores,” found that human males have no bone in their man bone because they only last a few minutes! (As opposed to animals who copulate for hours because they don’t have to go to the office.)
Primates who mate for three minutes or more tend to have far longer penis bones than those whose vaginal penetration is below three minutes,” says Matilda Brindle, who led the study at the Dept of Anthropology, University of London.
“Longer “baculum” or penis bones were also seen in species with seasonal breeding and polygamous mating systems,” says the study. “Both polygamous and seasonal breeding systems predict significantly longer bacula in primates. These results suggest the baculum plays an important role in facilitating reproductive strategies in populations with high levels of postcopulatory sexual selection.”
In other words, those polyamorous monkeys who all mate with each other grow a harder boner! Who knew?
“While polygamous mating does take place among humans, it’s not common enough to necessitate the retention of the penis bone,” says Brindle. “Primates who mate for three minutes or more tend to have far longer penis bones than those whose vaginal penetration, is below three minutes.”
Photo: Christina Appelgate notices Will Ferrell’s man bone in Anchorman.
