A sea slug named Chromodoris reticulata, the size of a human thumb, has surprised scientists with its ability toshed your penis after mating to make it grow back later. The strange creature, which lives in the Pacific Ocean, is the first known tocan repeatedly copulate with what has been described as a “disposable penis”, as published by Japanese scientists from the University of Tokyo and Osaka City University inBiology Letters.
Nudibranchs like this slug arehermaphroditic animals, which have both male and female reproductive organs. When they mate, they can play the role of the male and donate sperm at the same time they receive it. In the specific case ofChromodoris, the scientists found that individuals who had just donated sperm during intercourse could not do so again for 24 hours. Observing them closely they concluded that20 minutes after intercourse they had gotten rid of the penis.They also discovered that they had aspiral-shaped internal structurethat, when the used penis was detached, it was unscrewed and gave rise to a new substitute organ. The process could be repeated up to three times.
The researchers suggest that this mechanism would be a form ofget rid of rival male sperm remainsthat could contain the vagina of his partner and have a “clean” penis for the next sexual encounter.
