Crocuta crocuta (female) photo © Zanzibarski via PIXABAY20
Prof. Mumblebard claims: “The female spotted hyena (pictured here) has masculine genitalia including a penis-like clitoris and a false scrotum. These are probably a hormonal epiphenomenon in this matriarchal species in which all females dominate all males forcefully and psychologically. Because the females have so much testosterone, foetal development is affected to the point of partial perversion of the genitalia.”
Robin and the Honey Badger respond: “The female genitalia of the spotted hyena are far too aberrant to be explained as incidental – let alone accidental. Crucially, the tubular passage of the penis-like clitoris brings no advantage during sexual penetration but life-threatening disadvantage during birth. The only way that such a risky bottleneck – for both mother and offspring – could have evolved via natural selection is by conferring some strong adaptive benefit.”
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