• De_Narm@lemmy.world
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      21 hours ago

      That’s the fun part, we don’t know actually! There are some theories though. Among others:

      Could be for females to better select their mates since you simply cannot fuck without their consent. On that note, do you know about duck genitals?

      Others think it could be camouflage since females, especially cubs, get attacked more often. Did I mention that females also have a fake scrotum?

      There’s also the idea that the penis is for social purposes. Females can get an erection and inspecting as well as licking each others erections is a normal greeting in hyena land! Presenting your erection is a submissive thing though.

      If you dive deep enough into the rabbit hole, you could be the first to discover the truth!

      • Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de
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        9 hours ago

        it really is amazing how learning about nature makes you realize that us humans are by far the least fucked up animals, except perhaps bonobos who seem to have things a bit more figured out than we do.

        • De_Narm@lemmy.world
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          7 hours ago

          It’s all a matter of perspective, other animals would think the same about us for such concepts as:

          • Menstruation - Heck, the whole pregnancy thing is basically body horror to almost anything but mammals regardless of the benefits. Even many woman think as such.
          • Our spines are a mess. They are not made for walking upright, and our knees are just as bad.
          • Choking on food is simply not possible for many animals. Why would you route air and food through the same place?

          Now, compare this to let’s say a jellyfish, which didn’t even change that much for millions of years because it just works.

      • wise_pancake@lemmy.ca
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        18 hours ago

        Genuinely enjoyed your responses, I guess hyenas and platypus are things we’ll never understand

      • OldManBOMBIN@lemmy.world
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        21 hours ago

        Echidnas have weird dicks, as well. Spiny, and 4-headed. The heads function two at a time, and alternate - though I’m not sure the frequency. Didn’t read that far cause there was a picture and I was like “holy shit.”