The Oldest Penis in the World Belongs to a Preserved Crustacean Found in Volcanic Ash 425 Million Years Ago, Revealing a Close Relationship Between Mating and Breathing in This Species.
In the 1990s, while studying rocks collected from the rural areas of western England, paleontologist David Siveter from the University of Leicester unexpectedly discovered the oldest penis in the world.
Image of the fossilized specimen. (PHOTO: SCIENCE).
Professor Siveter and his colleagues created a 3D model of a fossilized specimen of a type of bivalve crustacean measuring just 1 mm in length. Bivalves are a class of crustaceans that include species commonly known as seed shrimp.
During this process, he not only observed a perfectly preserved ancient fossil but also discovered a penis that accounted for up to one-third of the body size, according to a report by Interesting Engineer on August 19.
Professor Siveter remarked: “It is not often that we can be fortunate enough to determine the sex of a fossil.”
The sperm of this species can be significantly larger than their body size. Some bivalve species may have a body length of around 1 mm but produce sperm that measures up to 10 mm.
The previous record for the oldest penis belonged to a specimen of a spider that lived 400 million years ago. The reproductive organ of this species was two-thirds the length of its body, according to a report published in the journal Science.
This fossil also provides the oldest direct evidence of a system known as respiratory-ejaculatory circulation.
Thus, breathing and mating appear to be one and the same for this ancient bivalve species.
