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\nWhy Bird Penises Are So Weird\n

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\nMale birds have the largest genital diversity of any class of animals because their sex chromosomes make it easy to pass male-helping mutations down the line.___________________________________________To learn more, start your googling...\nMale birds have the largest genital diversity of any class of animals because their sex chromosomes make it easy to pass male-helping mutations down the line.
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To learn more, start your googling with these keywords:
Sex chromosome: A chromosome involved in determining the sex of an individual.
Cloaca: A posterior orifice that serves as the only exit for the gastrointestinal, urinary and genital tracts.
Mutation: An alteration in the DNA sequence that makes up a gene.
Sexually-selected Trait: A trait based on a mutation that confers a reproductive advantage.
BMP4: A protein whose presence halts the growth of bird penises in the egg.
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If you liked this week’s video, you might also like:
An article from The Week about some of the strangest penises in the animal kingdom
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Credits (and Twitter handles):
Script Writer: David Goldenberg (@dgoldenberg)
Script Editor: Kate Yoshida (@KateYoshida)
Video Illustrator: Ever Salazar (@eversalazar)
Video Director: Emily Elert (@eelert)
Video Narrator: Emily Elert (@eelert)
With Contributions From: Henry Reich, Alex Reich, Peter Reich
Music by: Nathaniel Schroeder


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References:

Brennan, P. and Prum, R. (2015). Mechanisms and Evidence of Genital Coevolution: The Roles of Natural Selection,Mate Choice, and Sexual Conflict. 1-21. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology. Retrieved from

Brennan, P. (2013). Genital Evolution: Cock-a-Doodle-Don’t. Current Biology. R523-R525. Retrieved from

Brennan, P., Birkhead, T., Zyskowski, K., van der Waagand, J., and Prum, R. (2008). Independent evolutionary reductions of the phallus in basal birds. Journal of Avian Biology, 39: 487-492. Retrieved from

Briskie, J. and Montgomerie, R. (1997). Sexual selection and the intromittent organ of birds. Journal of Avian Biology. 28: 73-86. Retrieved from

Herrera, A., Brennan, P., and Cohn, M. (2014). Development of Avian External Genitalia: Interspecific Differences and Sexual Differentiation of the Male and Female Phallus. Sexual Development. 9: 43-52. Retrieved from

Reinhold, K. (1998). Sex linkage among genes controlling sexually selected traits. Sexual Selection. 44:1-7. Retrieved from

Image Credits:

Mandarin Ducks - Francis C. Franklin

Gorillas - Based on photo by Wikimedia user No escape

Lake Duck Penis - Kevin McCracken (Published in Nature 2001)\n
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2:23
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12th - Higher Ed
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Subjects
Science
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\nMinuteEarth\n\n
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Date
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2017
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English
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traits, mutation, animals, mammals, males, birds, chromosomes, genes, feathers, females
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attract, sex chromosomes, make, genitals, hand, male, passed, male birds, line, reason, jeans, sons, twisty, penis, longest, male traits, passing, lake duck, twistiest genital, bird penis, mate, relative, directly, pretty, extra, sexy, tail
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