hemipenis
Sign in to savethumb|An everted hemipenis of a North American rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus). thumb|Common house geckos, mating, ventral view with hemipenis inserted in the [[cloaca]]
Article
16 sectionsContents
- Background
- Evolution
- Unpaired penis as ancestral form
- Speciation
- Morphology
- Identification
- Structure and shape variation
- Function
- Lock-and-key mechanism
- Sexual conflict theory
- Cryptic female choice
- Hemiclitoris
- Other vertebrates
- See also
- Notes
- External links
thumb|An everted hemipenis of a North American rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus). thumb|Common house geckos, mating, ventral view with hemipenis inserted in the [[cloaca]]
A hemipenis (: hemipenes) is one of a pair of intromittent organs of male squamates (snakes and lizards). Hemipenes are usually held inverted within the body, and are everted for reproduction via erectile tissue, much like that in the human penis. They come in a variety of shapes, depending on species, with ornamentation such as spikes.