hemipenis
Quick Summary
The hemipenis is one of a pair of copulatory organs found in lizards and snakes. These paired structures are elongated outpocketings of the cloaca, located at the base of the tail, and are typically covered with spines. Unlike the penis found in turtles and crocodiles, hemipenes generally lack erectile tissue, with protrusion initiated by muscles and completed by blood filling sinuses. During mating, only one hemipenis is inserted into the female. Females of these species may also possess very small hemipenes of unknown function.123
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reptileCourtship and fertilization… [order Crocodylia, or Crocodilia]) or hemipenes (as in lizards and snakes [order Squamata]). The penis is a homologue of the mammalian penis, and its presence in reptiles indicates that this organ arose early in the evolution of the amniotes and prior to the origin of reptiles and synapsids. In contrast,…
Read More… [order Crocodylia, or Crocodilia]) or hemipenes (as in lizards and snakes [order Squamata]). The penis is a homologue of the mammalian penis, and its presence in reptiles indicates that this organ arose early in the evolution of the amniotes and prior to the origin of reptiles and synapsids. In contrast,…
Read More- reptileDigestive and urogenital systems
…each unit being called a hemipenis. The hemipenes of lizards and snakes are elongated tubular structures lying in the tail. The penis of a crocodile or turtle is protruded through the cloacal opening wholly by means of a filling of blood space (sinuses) in the penis; protrusion of a lizard’s…
Read More…each unit being called a hemipenis. The hemipenes of lizards and snakes are elongated tubular structures lying in the tail. The penis of a crocodile or turtle is protruded through the cloacal opening wholly by means of a filling of blood space (sinuses) in the penis; protrusion of a lizard’s…
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