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posted by martyb on Tuesday January 11 2022, @11:15AM   Printer-friendly
from the not-useful-for-all-porpoises dept.

Dolphin females have working clitoris, anatomical evidence suggests

Like humans, female dolphins have a functional clitoris, according to a study appearing January 10 in the journal Current Biology. The findings are based on the discovery that the clitoris-like structure positioned in the vaginal entrance of bottlenose dolphins has lots of sensory nerves and erectile bodies.

"The dolphin clitoris has many features to suggest that it functions to provide pleasure to females," says first author Patricia Brennan, an assistant professor of biological sciences at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts.

Scientists have known that dolphins are highly social. They have sex throughout the year as a way of forging and maintaining social bonds. It had been noted also that dolphin females have a clitoris in the vagina in a spot that would make stimulation during copulation likely. There've also been reports of females rubbing each other's clitorises with their snouts, flippers, and flukes.

What dolphins reveal about the evolution of the clitoris

[...] Patricia Brennan: I have been collaborating with a researcher who was studying vaginas in dolphins. Dolphins have very complicated vaginas, which contain many folds. The hypothesis was that these folds were there to exclude salt water during copulation, because it is supposed to be lethal to mammalian sperm. But nobody had actually ever really studied these folds or tried to test the idea.

We haven't been able to pinpoint exactly why they are that way. But when we dissected the vaginas, I would look at these clitorises and be just amazed. I was like: "Oh my gosh, these are pretty big, well-developed clitorises." And I thought that might be something interesting to look at.

[...] Are dolphins really having sex all the time? Are they more sexually active than other animals?

We don't really know if they are having more sex than other marine mammals. It's really hard to study sexual behaviour in cetaceans because they're out there [in the ocean]. But bottlenose dolphins live close to the shore, where scientists can go out on their boats and study them. They see them having sex year-round, even when the females are not receptive, so not ready to get pregnant and have babies.

And not only do they have sex all the time, they have a lot of homosexual sex as well. The females will rub each other's clitorises with their snouts and their flippers really often. It's not like every once in a blue moon you'll see females stimulating each other, it's actually pretty common. Females also masturbate.

If they're out there seeking all these sexual experiences, it's likely that it's probably feeling good.

Journal Reference:
Patricia L.R. Brennan, Jonathan R. Cowart, Dara N. Orbach. Evidence of a functional clitoris in dolphins, Current Biology (DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.11.020)

See Also:

What's the difference between dolphins and porpoises?

Gizmodo: Dolphins Have a Fully Functional Clitoris, Study Finds

Dolphin study could help us understand the evolution of female pleasure


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  • (Score: 5, Informative) by Brymouse on Tuesday January 11 2022, @11:53AM (10 children)

    by Brymouse (11315) on Tuesday January 11 2022, @11:53AM (#1211738)
    Obligatory [archive.org].
    • (Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @12:43PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @12:43PM (#1211742)

      WTF did I just read?!

    • (Score: 5, Insightful) by pkrasimirov on Tuesday January 11 2022, @12:57PM

      by pkrasimirov (3358) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday January 11 2022, @12:57PM (#1211743)

      I am missing a +0 Flabbergasting mod.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @01:13PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @01:13PM (#1211746)

      Yeah I guess the author of the paper couldn't cite that site ;)

      I'm sure those people having sex with female dolphins have long known most have a working clitoris...

    • (Score: 5, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @01:49PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @01:49PM (#1211751)

      Welp.

      From now on, any time someone tells me that they want to be a marine biologist, I'll give them a wink and a nod.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @02:22PM (3 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @02:22PM (#1211762)

      I've got to say that his description of the dolphin's muscular and contracting vagina does have me curious what it would feel like. I don't want to actually fuck a dolphin, mind you.

      • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @02:30PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @02:30PM (#1211765)

        Maybe they could design a sex toy to mimic the action: call it the Flipper Fucker.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @03:43PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @03:43PM (#1211785)

        Why? All true men should fuck a dolphin or mare at least once.

        • (Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @04:32PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @04:32PM (#1211804)

          I did fuck a pig once. In my defense, I had been thru a long dry spell, and we could use her apartment.

  • (Score: 4, Funny) by driverless on Tuesday January 11 2022, @02:13PM

    by driverless (4770) on Tuesday January 11 2022, @02:13PM (#1211756)

    Did they get hints from their female co-authors perhaps? Or use Google?

  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @03:01PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @03:01PM (#1211772)

    I thought that dolphin females having an analogous clitoris to humans would have been the null hypothesis.

    • (Score: 4, Funny) by DannyB on Tuesday January 11 2022, @04:13PM

      by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday January 11 2022, @04:13PM (#1211795) Journal

      Mentioning that might reduce your research grant.

      --
      People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
  • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Tuesday January 11 2022, @03:36PM (1 child)

    by tangomargarine (667) on Tuesday January 11 2022, @03:36PM (#1211781)

    It had been noted also that dolphin females have a clitoris in the vagina in a spot that would make stimulation during copulation likely.

    Now I'm curious whether this had to be pointed out because there's animal speciest with clitorises that *aren't* stimulated during sex. In which case what would be the point of having one, from an evolutionary standpoint?

    --
    "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
    • (Score: 2) by legont on Wednesday January 12 2022, @12:14AM

      by legont (4179) on Wednesday January 12 2022, @12:14AM (#1211973)

      There are times when species want to increase their population and when decreasing it is a better strategy. Those conditions usually fluctuate faster than time required to grow a new organ.
      There are other considerations as well such as forcing males to care for the offspring which require less accommodating females. Birds are good at it as well as some humans.

      --
      "Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @03:41PM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @03:41PM (#1211783)

    I'm more into anal, so this clitoris business does not interest me. I am holding out for the gay dolphin or female dolphins who own a penis research on anal sex.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @04:18PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @04:18PM (#1211797)

      And here we are; anal sex with a dolphin. Discuss.

    • (Score: 0, Troll) by NPC-131072 on Tuesday January 11 2022, @05:52PM

      by NPC-131072 (7144) on Tuesday January 11 2022, @05:52PM (#1211832) Journal

      Hello fren,

      It's much worse, these disgusting transphobes call themselves "Current Biology" but publication makes no mention of the female penis.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 12 2022, @11:39AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 12 2022, @11:39AM (#1212068)

      You could always give Kanye a call.

    • (Score: 1, Offtopic) by bart9h on Wednesday January 12 2022, @06:15PM

      by bart9h (767) on Wednesday January 12 2022, @06:15PM (#1212178)
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @04:31PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @04:31PM (#1211803)

    Great, two species you can now disappoint...

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @04:57PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @04:57PM (#1211812)

    Dolphin Females Have Working Clitoris

    Let's hear it for the working girls!

  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @05:16PM (5 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @05:16PM (#1211819)

    Is the fishy smell/taste.

    • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @07:49PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @07:49PM (#1211877)

      You'll get used to it.

    • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @11:05PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @11:05PM (#1211957)

      Oh come on, mods, this got Flamebait? Are dolphins truly so intelligent that they are modding Soylent from their tanks? They really did learn to speak English? I guess that young woman who jerked off her dolphin subject while teaching him English WAS successful!

      Note: THIS IS 100% TRUE

      https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/woman-who-sex-dolphin-during-3665157 [mirror.co.uk]

      I wish I could find a link to the long story. When the funding dried up, the dolphin was sent away to live in a tank away from his beloved woman. He committed suicide by staying underwater and intentionally not breathing.

    • (Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 12 2022, @03:10AM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 12 2022, @03:10AM (#1212011)

      Sad day when the funniest comment gets modded flamebait. I read this thread to my wife and she was laughing hysterically. The incels here have no idea what a healthy sense of sexual humor is.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 12 2022, @04:31AM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 12 2022, @04:31AM (#1212028)

        The saviors of civilization are very moral. Purging of the inferior races, yes, but no naughty words gosh darn it!

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 12 2022, @04:56AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 12 2022, @04:56AM (#1212035)

          No sure which one is the naughty word. Is it "fishy"?

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @08:12PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 11 2022, @08:12PM (#1211889)

    "But bottlenose dolphins live close to the shore, where scientists can go out on their boats and study them."

    oh yeah, i bet

    • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday January 11 2022, @10:00PM (1 child)

      by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday January 11 2022, @10:00PM (#1211940) Journal

      Just tell the PETA people that it's all for science to increase the knowledge of mankind.

      PETA - People Eating Tasty Animals

      --
      People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 12 2022, @04:33AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 12 2022, @04:33AM (#1212029)

        Q: What's the best thing about sex with a dolphin?
        A: Free dolphin burgers afterwards.

  • (Score: 2) by zafiro17 on Wednesday January 12 2022, @10:30PM (1 child)

    by zafiro17 (234) on Wednesday January 12 2022, @10:30PM (#1212231) Homepage

    OK, so female dolphins have clitorises. But do they turn into cam-whore instagram Thots like females of another species I could name but won't?

    Mods: bite me.

    --
    Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died of tuberculosis - Jack Handey
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 13 2022, @05:09PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 13 2022, @05:09PM (#1212441)

      Yes, but you have to pay them in SardineCoin.

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