A new paper about the reproductive behaviour of the spiny anteater, to be published in the December issue of American Naturalist, makes for fascinating - if slightly disturbing - reading.
The spiny anteater (Tachyglossuss aculeatus) is a primitive mammal with an unusual four-headed penis. The animal is difficult to observe in the wild, and does not readily copulate when in captivity, so exactly how the male uses its penis was a mystery.
Stephen Johnston of the University of Queensland and his colleagues obtained a male spiny anteater which regularly produced erections when handled during public viewing sessions at a zoo, and had been "conditioned to develop an erection to the point where it would ejaculate." Johnston's team were therefore able to make the first observations of the animal's erection and ejaculatory mechanism.
They discovered that the anteater's ejaculatory mechanism is very strange - it is unique among mammals, and actually cloesly resembles the form of ejaculation observed in some reptile species. Further, they found that the anteater's sperm forms bundles which consist of up to 100 cells (above right).
The spiny anteater's penis is bilaterally symmetrical, and the glans is subdivided into four "rosettes", all of which remain displayed during the early stages of an erection. But as the erection continues, the two rosettes on one side become engorged with blood, and the two on the opposite side retract.
Because the two unused rosettes retract, the erection is symmetrical in appearance (right). The erect penis - which is one-quarter the anteater's body-length - is therefore fully compatible with the female, which has only two reproductive tracts.
Observation of consecutive ejaculations showed that the left and right sides of the penis are used alternately. But it remains whether or not ejaculation becomes restricted to one side of the penis during copulation; it is possible that sperm travels to the vas deferens on the unused side of the penis without being discharged.
When semen samples were examined using a scanning electron microscope, they were observed to contain bundles of up to 100 spermatozoa. This apparently increases the motility of the cells - although the precise velocities were not measured, large sperm bundles were found to swim more quickly than smaller bundles or individual cells.
Female anteaters sometimes copulate with up to 11 males in quick succession, so bundling may have evolved as a form of sperm competition. Alternatively, it could be a means of storing sperm within the female reproductive tract, or of preventing the cells on the inside of the bundle from maturing before fertilization can occur. A better understanding of sperm bundling should be possible now that the researchers have the ability to collect semen samples regularly.
This is the first time such ejaculatory behaviour has been described in a mammal. The ejaculation mechanism of the spiny anteater is reminiscent to that of the squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes), which have two alternately-used hemipenes that otherwise remain inverted inside the tail.
This study therefore supports the theory that monotremes (the mamalian order to which anteaters belong) have a close evolutionary relationship with reptiles. And further studies of the spiny anteater's reproductive behaviour may provide useful information about how all mammals evoloved.
Read more about the spiny anteater's bizarre sex life at New Scientist.
Related:
- Large ejaculate from a spiny genital organ
Reference:
Johnston, S. D., et al. (2007). One-sided ejaculation of Echidna sperm bundles. Am. Nat. 170. doi 10.1086/522847. [Full text]
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Ah ... as opposed to your usual garden-variety four-headed penis, I assume ...
You mean "This study therefore supports the fantasy that monotremes..." Every cladistic analysis I've seen groups them firmly with other mammals. OTOH, the common ancestor may have had a forked penis. Most marsupials do.
I feel sorry for whoever had to let the anteater rub their penis against his hand.
great post, mo.
amazing how mammals adapt to their (reproductive) needs so differently.
also amazing how scientists continue their research, regardless of the methodologies required for data collection. or, what baratos said.
I wonder why it is that the anteater liked to be handled by people so much that he would become aroused like that. Especially if most other spiny anteaters seemed to abhor such behavior in captivity, let alone in the hands of a hairless monkey!
'Stephen Johnston of the University of Queensland and his colleagues obtained a male spiny anteater which regularly produced erections when handled during public viewing sessions at a zoo, and had been "conditioned to develop an erection to the point where it would ejaculate."'
Just what kind of conditioning are we talking about here people?
Hey that looks just like my penis.
jeff - your girlfriend/ wife must be very pleased.
having a close evolutionary relationship with reptiles does not mean that they ARE reptiles.
The implication is that the evolutionary history places reptiles closer to monotremes than marsupials or placentals. I.E. - reptiles likely evolved into monotremes instead of marsupials or placentals.