MrDarwin

I absolutely cannot resist posting this:

<a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=585&e=1&cid=585&u=/nm/20020913/sc_nm/science_penis_dc" target="_blank">Oldest Known Penis Is 100 Million Years Old</a>

Mecha_Dude

The dream of every man...

GeoTheo

I don't see why an ocean going non-vertabrate would need a penis. I thought the whole idea of sexual reproduction was to avoid the dessication of gamete cells.

Writer@Large

Because they're so much fun!

Isn't it awfully nice to have a penis!
Isn't it frightfully good to have a dong ...

[I'm sorry, I'm sorry ... couldn't resist. To avoid having this get whisked off to humor, I'll contribute a serious response, as well.]

GeoTheo, my honest response would be, "well, why not have a penis?" The "whole idea of sexual reproduction" notwithstanding, remember that evolution is non-guided and unplanned. If this critter were swimming around with a penis (or two), then obviously it either (a) did it *some* sort of good, or (b) it was useful for an ancestor or two. We know the major benefits of sexual reproduction *now*; perhaps we can only speculate on its benefits 100 million years ago.

--W@L

It's swell to have a stiffy!
It's divine to own a dick!
From the world's tiniest tadger,
to the world's biggest prick ...

Anti-Creedance Front

Siveter, an expert in paleontology, believes ostracods are very sexy animals because they have the second longest sperm in the animal kingdom. A one millimeter ostracod can produce a single sperm 10 millimeters long.

Tee hee hee

Grumpy

The wondrous reproductive life of the ostracod, where the male goes through labor -- before fertilization!

Or, Jeez that must be some money-shot!

pz

That doesn't make sense. I think you mean "the whole idea of internal fertilization" or of an intromittent organ, don't you?

Penises have other uses than just keeping your semen from drying out. They also allow the organism to carry out precisely targeted delivery, maximizing bang for the buck. They are physical structures that allow the organism to overcome barriers to fertilization that the female may have put up, since she/it may not want to be indiscriminately fertilized -- some molluscs literally fence with their penises, and aim to stab their mate anywhere, to inject sperm into the body cavity. They also allow the coordinated delivery of other materials than gametes, such as pheromones. Some species use them to plant their own barriers to subsequent fertilization by other males, building a plug in the female's genital canal.

And of course, maybe ocean-going invertebrate guys just wanna have fun.

[ September 13, 2002: Message edited by: pz ]</p>

Camaban

[weak joke] Now THAT will be in serious need of Viagra by now! ah ha ha ha ha[/weak joke]

Dark Jedi

With some viagra, that joke may be able to 'stand' scrutiny....

And let the Pun Cascade begin!

Camaban

not too many puns

we wouldn't want their potential to make us chuckle become impotent, would we?

God forbid that any humour in this thread should become sterile.