A few years ago, Nicolas Fasel, a biologist at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, and his colleagues developed a fascination with the penises of serotine bats, a species found in woodlands and the attics of old buildings across Europe and Asia.
Serotine bats sport abnormally long penises with wide, heart-shaped heads.
When erect, the members are around seven times longer than the female’s vagina, and their bulbous heads are seven times wider than the female’s vaginal opening.
What they discovered has overturned an assumption about mammalian reproduction, namely that procreation must always involve penetration.
In a study, published Monday in the journal Current Biology, Dr. Fassel and his colleagues presented evidence that serotine bats mate without penetration, making them the first mammals known to do so.
Persons:
Nicolas Fasel, “, Fasel, Fassel, ”
Organizations:
University of Lausanne
Locations:
Switzerland, Europe, Asia