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baculum

File:Armand_de_Montlezun_Baculum_Pyrénées.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ835986· pop 39· linked from 200 articles

Also known as penis bone, penile bone, os penis

thumb|320px|Baculum of a dog's penis; the arrow shows the urethral sulcus, which is the groove in which the urethra lies. thumb|Fossil baculum of a Indarctos|bear (Indarctos) from the [[Miocene]]

Wikidata facts

Subclass of
bone
Part of
penis
Image
Raccoonpenisbone.jpg
Show 4 more facts
Commons category
Penis bones
anatomical location
sex organ
found in taxon
Placentalia
different from
penile spines
Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~9 min read

Encyclopedic overview

10 sections
Contents
  • Etymology
  • Function
  • Presence in mammals
  • Absence in humans
  • Cultural significance
  • Oosik
  • See also
  • References
  • Further reading
  • External links

thumb|320px|Baculum of a dog's penis; the arrow shows the urethral sulcus, which is the groove in which the urethra lies. thumb|Fossil baculum of a Indarctos|bear (Indarctos) from the [[Miocene]]

The baculum (: bacula), also known as the penis bone, penile bone, os penis, os genitale, or os priapi, is a bone in the penis of many placental mammals. It is not present in humans, but is present in the penises of some primates, such as the gorilla and the chimpanzee. The baculum arises from primordial cells in soft tissues of the penis, and its formation is largely influenced by androgens. The bone lies above the urethra, and it aids sexual reproduction by maintaining stiffness during sexual penetration. The homologue to the baculum in female mammals is the baubellum (os clitoridis), a bone in the clitoris.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “baculum” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (11)