Size does matter
Prominent penis gives cold-dwelling mammals an edge.
5 April 2004
MICHAEL HOPKIN

A study of animals across the world has confirmed what many men have long
suspected - a large penis can be a recipe for success in the mating game.

The value of an impressive organ depends on the terrain, however. Animals at
high latitudes tend to benefit more from being better endowed than species
in more hospitable climes, according to Steven Ferguson of the Freshwater
Institute in Winnipeg, Canada, and Serge Larivičre from the Delta Waterfowl
Foundation in Portage La Prairie, Canada.

The researchers compiled data on the size of the penis bone, called the
baculum, in 122 carnivorous mammal species that have this feature, collected
from around the world. They then looked to see whether the bone's size
correlates with factors such as the temperature that the animal lives at, or
the latitude of its home.

Those living at polar latitudes have a longer baculum relative to their body
size than their tropical counterparts, the authors report in the journal
Oikos. This is probably thanks to the differing mating strategies that come
into play in different climates, the researchers say.

Read the rest at Nature
http://www.nature.com/nsu/040329/040329-18.html

Comment:
Although human males may refer to their member as a bone eg an oft used
pickup line heard in Australian bars goes something like this: "Hi honey.
I've got a bone that a dog couldn't chew", humans do not, in fact, have a
baculum bone.

Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek.
---
ţ RIMEGate(tm)/RGXPost V1.14 at BBSWORLD * Info{at}bbsworld.com

---
 * RIMEGate(tm)V10.2á˙* RelayNet(tm) NNTP Gateway * MoonDog BBS
 * RgateImp.MoonDog.BBS at 4/5/04 9:50:45 PM