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Related Experiment Videos

Penile spines affect copulatory behaviour in a primate (Callithrix jacchus).

A F Dixson1

  • 1Primate Centre, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Gabon.

Physiology & Behavior
|March 1, 1991
PubMed
Summary

Penile spines in male marmosets significantly influence copulatory behavior, affecting thrusting duration and intromission success. Their removal altered sensory feedback during mating, highlighting their role in primate sexual function.

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Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Biology
  • Primate Behavior
  • Mammalian Anatomy

Background:

  • Androgen-dependent penile spines are present in many mammals, including primates.
  • These spines are located over dermal tactile receptors, suggesting a role in sensory perception during copulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the functional role of penile spines in the copulatory behavior of male marmosets.
  • To determine if the removal of penile spines impacts sexual performance and sensory feedback during mating.

Main Methods:

  • Experiment conducted on 16 sexually experienced adult male marmosets.
  • Penile spines were removed using thioglycollate cream under anesthesia, with sham operations as controls.
  • Copulatory behavior was assessed before and after the intervention, measuring thrusting duration and intromission patterns.

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Main Results:

  • Spine removal significantly increased the duration of both preintromission pelvic thrusting and intromitted thrusting (p < 0.05).
  • Three males exhibited partial intromissions after spine removal, an occurrence not observed prior to the operation.
  • Sham operations had no discernible effect on the measured behavioral parameters.

Conclusions:

  • Penile spines play a significant role in providing sensory feedback during primate copulation.
  • While important, penile spines are not indispensable for successful copulation in marmosets.
  • These findings contribute to understanding the functional significance of penile morphology in mammalian sexual behavior.