Terrain and Penis Size Correlation (Article)
News - Michael Hopkin
Published Online: 05 April 2004; | doi:10.1038/news040329-18
“Prominent penis gives cold-dwelling mammals an edge”
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 Larivière 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 Oikos1. A lonely life in the cold means males make the most of sexual encounters.
Brock
