birding-aus

Male duck penises

To: Telstra <>
Subject: Male duck penises
From: Brian Fleming <>
Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2001 15:32:51 +1000
Telstra wrote:
> 
> The Age this morning ran a story on the 'Argentinian lake duck'.
> Apparently
> this duck has a penis that can stretch up to 42.5 cm. (This is about
> the
> length, head to tail-feathers, of the duck).
> 
> Most male ducks do not have penises but this does. By god it does! It
> is
> shaped 'like a corkscrew'  with 'spines at its base and a brush-like
> tip',
> Before ejaculation it uses its penis 'like bottlebrushes to remove
> sperm
> stored in the oviduct by the female's previous consort'.
> 
> (And I had to take a cold shower reading about fairy wrens and their
> techniques for randy female sperm removal.  I am currently typing this
> from
> my laptop in the backyard swimming pool. This is Melbourne in spring
> -- it
> isn't funny).
> 
> Apparently the article discussing this is in the current issue of
> Nature.
> On checking my Handbook of the Birds of the World, vol 1, I assume the
> bird
> described is Oxyura vittata or the Argentinian blue-billed duck. Or am
> I in
> an April 1 timewarp? Or have I got the wrong duck?
> 
> The photo in HOTBOTW doesn't show as much as does the Age photo.  And
> I
> looked in Narosky/ Yzurieta, Birds of Argentina & Uruguay (my copy
> opened
> immediately at the required page!) but there is nothing there either.
> 
> Questions abound. The Age article concludes 'scientists are yet to
> determine
> how much of his penis the drake actually inserts'. I want to know.
> This is a
> worthwhile research topic.
> 
> Harry Clarke.
> 
I can state from personal observation at Serendip(Vic)that the
Australian Bluebilled Duck is similarly well endowed. During mating the
female is totally submerged for some time; why she isn't drowned I don't
know. After the male releases her they seem to remain connected for
several seconds at least, with the male's appendage floating on the
water like sausage-casing. It definitely appeared longer than the drake
himself.
Anthea Fleming in Ivanhoe (vic).
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message
"unsubscribe birding-aus" (no quotes, no Subject line)
to 


<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the birding-aus mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU