Scientists discover say female snakes get clitoris

Scientists don discover say snakes get clitorises.

Dis new discovery don scata di long time believe wey bin say female snake no get sexual organ.

Di research wey dem publish on Wednesday, provide di first proper anatomical descriptions of female snake genitalia.

For many years, researchers don dey study snake sex organ wey dem call hemipenes - wey get fork like shape and some dey surrounded with spikes.

But scientist fail to notice di female sex organ compared to di way dem take note di male own, researchers tok.

No be say di female sexual organ dey difficult to find - instead, scientists no really dey look for am.

"Tins wey cause am na di tinkin of female genitalia as taboo, scientists wey no dey able to find am, and pipo wey dey accept mislabelling of intersex snakes," Megan Folwell, wey be doctoral candidate and lead researcher tok.

Her co-authored paper wey dem don publish for di Proceedings of di Royal Society B Journal dis week, locate di clitoris for di tail of female snake.

Snakes get two individual clitorises, dat na hemiclitores wey dey separated by tissue and dey hidden for di underside of di tail.

Di double-walled organ dey made up of nerves, collagen and red blood cells consistent with erectile tissue, researchers tok.

Folwell say she start to dey look for di female genital of snake because of di literature wey she don read about snake female sexual organs – wey say dem no get or don comot through evolution.

"E no just sit right with me," she tok about di literature.

"I know say di clitoris dey for a lot of animals and e no make sense say e no dey for all snakes," she tok.

"I just gatz to take a look, to see if dis structure dey dia or if e just dey miss," she tok.

She start to do her search with death adder, dat na one specie of snake and find di clitoris immediately, near di snake scent glands wey e dey use take attract mating partners.

Di clitoris of di snake na one structure wey dey in di shape of a heart.

"E get dis double structure wey dey very prominent for di female, e dey very different to dat of di surrounding tissue - and e no dey like di [penis] structures wey I don see before."

Her team den check am out for different snakes - dem dissect a total of nine species including di carpet python, puff adder and cantil viper.

Di hemiclitores dey different in size but stand out.

Re-writing snake sex

Di finding now open di way for new theories about snake sex – wey fit involve female stimulation and pleasure.

Until now, scientists bin believe say snake sex na "mostly about force and di male snake dey by force di mating," Folwell tok.

Dis na because male snakes dey physically aggressive during mating while di female dey more "calm" - dat na say dem no dey excited.

"But now with di finding of di clitoris, we fit start to dey look more towards seduction and stimulation as anoda form of di female wey dey more willing and likely to populate with di male," she tok.

E also open a new light on hypothesis of snake foreplay. Male snakes go often wrap around dia partner tail - wia di clitoris dey located - and dey move.

"A lot of behaviour dey wey show say dem fit dey dia to stimulate di female."

Folwell say dem don receive positive reception to di finding for di snake science world - "a bit of shock wey don miss for so long, but also surprise because e make sense say e dey exist".

She note say for some snake species, di clitoris dey fragile and particularly small - less dan a millimetre.

For long time, pipo bin believe say di female snakes get smaller version of di male hemipene, as in di case of monitor lizards.

Sake of dis, for some studies of intersex snakes, scientists don mislabel hemipenes as a hemiclitores.

One of di oda researchers for di project, Associate Prof Kate Sanders for di University of Adelaide, tok say di discovery for no happun if not for Folwell "fresh perspective".

"Dis discovery show how science need different thinkers with different ideas to move forward."