The Flippin’ Fun Dolphins Have With Their Clitorises

The Flippin’ Fun Dolphins Have With Their Clitorises
Image: Images: Darin Ashby / Ranae Smith / Unsplash

According to a new study, scientists have found that dolphins have clitorises similar to humans’, which they take advantage of when having sex, female on female. 

A new study in the journal, Current Biology, found that dolphins, who like humans have sex to maintain social bonds as well as for breeding purposes, have clitorises that have developed for pleasure. 

During the study, researchers examined the genitals of 11 female bottlenose dolphins that had passed away from natural causes and found they had erectile tissue structure under their clitorises, along with lots of blood vessels, large nerves, and nerve endings just under the skin. 

They are so similar to a human’s clitoris that it led the scientists to hypothesise that the dolphins feel pleasure during sex, which could be the reason why they have it so often.

Patricia Brennan, a biologist and lead researcher of the study, told the New Scientist, “Bottlenose dolphins live close to the shore, where scientists can go out on their boats and study them.

“They see them having sex year-round, even when the females are not receptive, so not ready to get pregnant and have babies. 

“And not only do they have sex all the time, they have a lot of homosexual sex as well.”

So how does it work?

According to Brennan, “The females will rub each other’s clitorises with their snouts and their flippers really often.

“It’s not like every once in a blue moon you’ll see females stimulating each other, it’s actually pretty common. Females also masturbate.

“If they’re out there seeking all these sexual experiences, it’s likely that it’s probably feeling good.”

Studying the Dolphin’s Genitals Assists in Understanding Human Sexuality

The reason they do this is that it assists in learning about human sexuality and pleasure. 

When speaking with the Agence France-Presse, Brennan explained that animal sexuality is not well understood. She mentioned this is not surprising as scientists did not completely understand the human clitoris until the 1990s. She also said that studies such as these could give us further insight into human pleasure. 

“There are certainly plenty of females who have problems during sex, for example, related to arousal, or related to pain during sex or inability to orgasm,” said Brennan.

“There are people who are uncomfortable with studies of sexual behaviour in general, whether in humans or other animals,” she told the New Scientist. “That doesn’t mean that sex is unimportant or that we shouldn’t be studying it.”

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