Scientists found the world's first female 'penises' on cave-dwelling bugs

Thinkstock

Scientists found the world's first female 'penises' on cave-dwelling bugs
(Image credit: Thinkstock)

Cave-dwelling bugs in Brazil, belonging to the rare Neotrogla genus, set themselves apart in more ways than one, National Geographic reported.

Scientists studying the bugs found that the females possess genitalia structurally and functionally similar to a penis, while the males use a vagina-like opening to distribute their sperm. The researchers published their study in the journal Current Biology.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Sarah Eberspacher

Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.