{"id":2208794,"date":"2026-10-31T06:00:36","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T05:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/?p=2208794"},"modified":"2026-10-30T14:58:43","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T13:58:43","slug":"it-can-regrow-its-penis-after-mating-not-just-once-but-twice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/it-can-regrow-its-penis-after-mating-not-just-once-but-twice\/","title":{"rendered":"It can regrow its penis after mating – not just once \u2013 but twice!"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a world where it can seem that nothing is built to last, here is a creature that takes disposability to eye-watering extremes.<\/p>\n

Like most nudibranchs, Chromodoris reticulata<\/em> is a simultaneous hermaphrodite.<\/p>\n

Copulation is a two-way affair, with each participant inserting its penis into its partner’s vagina.<\/p>\n

But much less conventional is what they do with those penises once mating is all over: after a struggle to disentangle themselves, both partners shed and discard them.<\/p>\n

However, this obviously presents a problem if the nudibranch needs to mate again.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, an individual can grow another penis within 24 hours, rolling it out from an internal coiled reserve that contains enough for at least two replacements.<\/p>\n

Substitutes are necessary because the penis is covered in backward-pointing spines – thought to scrape rival sperm out of the vagina – which can cause the organ to get jammed and damaged during separation.<\/p>\n

Disposability ensures that there’s a working penis ready for next time. Definitely worthy of a place on our weirdest animal penises list<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This article<\/a> by Stuart Blackman was first published by Discover Wildlife on 19 October 2026. Lead Image: Reticulated Chromodoris \u00a9 Getty Images
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