Reuters
Believe it or not, male chimpanzees may have the best sex lives.
A new study in Nature reveals that the spines in male chimpanzee’s members increases stimulation during sex. Humans also once had penile spines, although evolution rid both us and Neanderthals of that little trait.
(More on TIME.com: See the top 10 animal stories of 2010.)
While it’s proposed that these spines increase stimulation for males and females, it seems the male chimps have the better end of the stick as the spines may cause damage to females during intercourse.
The study compared human, Neanderthal and chimpanzee genomes. Neanderthals, like humans, dropped the trait long ago, leading researchers to believe the two species would have happily mated.
Now don’t go getting jealous of male chimps too quickly–female non-human primates are only sexually receptive during ovulation. Male and female humans alike can be glad human intercourse isn’t restricted by the ovulation cycle. (via Discovery)
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