The Science Life Animals

In marine mammals’ battle of the sexes, vaginal folds can make the difference

Patricia Brennan has made a splash with her studies of genitalia and fit

harbor porpoise

FERTILE FOLDS In harbor porpoises (one shown), females have vaginal folds (3-D endocast shown below) that may help them exert control over fertilization.

Solvin Zankl/Alamy Stock Photo

By Lesley Evans Ogden

This article is only available to Science News subscribers.

Subscribers, enter your e-mail address to access our archives.

Not a subscriber?

Science News is a nonprofit.

Support us by subscribing now.

More Stories from Science News on Animals

  1. green tree frogs mating
    Animals

    Female green tree frogs have noise-canceling lungs that help them hear mates

    By Jonathan Lambert
  2. robot swimming in South China Sea
    Materials Science

    This soft robot withstands crushing pressures at the ocean’s greatest depths

    By Carolyn Gramling
  3. scientist holding small piece of ancient dog bone
    Archaeology

    An ancient dog fossil helps trace humans’ path into the Americas

    By Anushree Dave
  4. male superb lyrebird with feathers spread
    Animals

    A single male lyrebird can mimic the sound of an entire flock

    By Jake Buehler
  5. giraffes eating together
    Animals

    Having more friends may help female giraffes live longer

    By Susan Milius
  6. Liolaemus tacnae
    Animals

    A mountain lizard in Peru broke the reptilian altitude record

    By Jake Buehler
  7. Jesse Laney and other ecologists on a birdwatching trip
    Animals

    A rare bird sighting doesn’t lead to seeing more kinds of rare birds

    By Anushree Dave
  8. gray cat playing with cat toy
    Life

    Meatier meals and more playtime might reduce cats’ toll on wildlife

    By Jonathan Lambert

From the Nature Index

Paid Content