News Animals

Scientists thought snakes didn’t have clitorises. They were wrong

The discovery reveals that the sex lives of snakes may be more complex than previously thought

A photo of a female common death adder on a bed of leaves

Researchers first identified and described the snake clitoris by studying the genital anatomy of two female common death adders (Acanthophis antarcticus), one of which is shown here.

Luke Allen, M.J. Folwell et al/Proceedings of the Royal Society B 2022

By Jake Buehler

Female snakes have clitorises too, a new study finds.

The research raises the possibility that the sex lives of snakes are more complicated and diverse than previously understood, researchers report December 14 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.