Dolphins Do It Better
The intricate design of female dolphin anatomy has been a puzzle to biologists who study reproduction. But new research shows how this design may allow females to control which males win the fertilization prize.
Female genitalia are something of a mystery to scientists, male and female. “It’s much easier to study something external than internal to the body,” says Dara Orbach, who researches anatomy at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. For this reason, penises have long been the low-hanging fruits of sexual reproduction research. The role of vaginas in successful mating has been murky at best.
That imbalance has thwarted our understanding of many aspects of copulation. Until now—at least when it comes to dolphins.
Orbach studies reproduction
