“We investigated the mechanics of copulatory interactions in marine mammals to determine how morphological diversity of genitalia correlates with function during simulated copulation. The excised penises of deceased male cetaceans and pinnipeds were distended, positioned inside the vaginas of females from the same species, and CT-scanned in situ using diceCT techniques. We found evidence of both congruent and antagonistic genital coevolution between the sexes, depending on the species. Sexual selection forces contribute to the extensive genital morphological variation observed in male and female marine mammals.”
–Lead author, Dara Orbach (@)
DiceCT 