https://www.vetsurgeon.org/f/non-clinical-questions/7512/the-elephant---life-after-death If you missed this on Channel 4 last night I would urge you to catch it on Channel 4 OD. A brilliant and absolutely fascinating documentary - showing how the natural world really functions. When you&#39;ve seen this you&#39;ll never again feel sqeamishen-USTelligent Community 10https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/33008?ContentTypeID=1Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:49:46 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:4069ee26-e9cf-4bf3-a63c-88633294cbaePeter Ding<p>Who&#39;d be a male hyena? SIX times your testosterone level and a peniform clitoris! <img src="https://www.vetsurgeon.org/emoticons/v2/Oh_my_God_smiley.png" alt="Surprised" /></p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/33005?ContentTypeID=1Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:45:14 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:2f88609d-d56e-4398-852e-05aabf658920Bob Russell<p>We have used wiki and google to get answers to this hyena thing. I have to admit mother-nature is amazing if sometimes eye-watering! Dominant female having 6x the testosterone level of the male creating additional aggression.</p> <p>Clever stuff!</p> <p>The elephant bit was interesting too!</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/32995?ContentTypeID=1Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:15:55 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:b90d294a-1483-42d6-a9f8-e918e9109a5cbob lehner<p>[quote user=&quot;Bob Russell&quot;]</p> <p>We have been struggling a bit with hyena&#39;s &#39;giving birth through a penis&#39;!!! Not surprising there is a high death rate in first time mothers. Ouch!</p> <p style="CLEAR:both;">[/quote]</p> <p>Female hyena genitalia is very interesting.&nbsp; Males and females externally look fairly similar and&nbsp; in the past many people believed that &nbsp;hyenas were true hermaphrodites. </p> <p>In fact the female has a greatly enlarged&nbsp;&nbsp;peniform clitoris through which she is mated&nbsp;and&nbsp;later gives birth (both &nbsp;with some difficulty).&nbsp;The external labia are fused and in fact look&nbsp; like a scrotum. &nbsp;The reason for the huge clitoris is apparently&nbsp;due to exposure in utero &nbsp;to &nbsp;high levels of androgens&nbsp;from the pregnant mother.&nbsp; Female hyenas are dominant and more aggressive than males and this appears in evolutionary terms to &nbsp;over-ride the mechanical problems associated with the strange external genitalia.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/32976?ContentTypeID=1Thu, 17 Feb 2011 12:53:53 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:985f2888-ae16-4ac1-8fdb-80246a6ff8f6Bob Russell<p>We have been struggling a bit with hyena&#39;s &#39;giving birth through a penis&#39;!!! Not surprising there is a high death rate in first time mothers. Ouch!</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/32974?ContentTypeID=1Thu, 17 Feb 2011 12:41:56 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:f3e850ad-260d-4585-bc46-b07aa2330419Martin Peacock<p>New Scientist has &nbsp;<a target='_blank' href="http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/nstv/2011/02/tuesday-time-lapse-wild-animals-devour-elephant.html">a time-lapse video</a> on web site. &nbsp;Don&#39;t know if its the same as the documentary (didn&#39;t catch it myself)&nbsp;</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/32967?ContentTypeID=1Thu, 17 Feb 2011 11:31:34 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:b6e48c27-34e6-4601-bcb9-94900fc75e0eSimon Neuhoff<p>[quote user=&quot;bob lehner&quot;] <p>When you&#39;ve seen this you&#39;ll never again feel sqeamish at the sight of a maggoty rabbit.</p> <p>&nbsp;[/quote]</p> <p>I&#39;m trying to work this out - is that a recommendation? ;-)</p> </p><div style="clear:both;"></div>