BIOC54H3 Chapter Notes -Cloaca, Guppy, Adaptation
Document Summary
Week 12: communication learning; ch 9 pg 287 294 & 299 326, ch3 pg 97 -104. Spotted hyenas and their pseudo penis looking at 4 different species of hyenas and their behaviour engage in chemical communication (use of anal glands to mark habitats) & they also inspect the anogenital regions of their companions. L. harrison matthews proposed that the pseudopenis was a result of high levels of male sex hormones in female hyenas. Gould introduced this hypothesis by stating that the penis and clitoris are both made from the same embryonic tissue and become what they are based on the exposure to certain hormones (testosterone and androgen = penis, absence of androgens. However, when a female embryo comes into contact with androgens, experimentally or naturally, she develops an elongated clitoris that resembles a penis. Racey & skinner, female spotted hyenas had circulating levels of testosterone equal to that of males.
