The morphology of the penis in porcupine (Hystrix cristata)

Abstract

In this study, histological and macroanatomical structures of porcupine penis were examined on 3 adult male porcupines. The non-erectile position of porcupine penis was directed to caudal. There was an obvious collum penis. Glans penis with a black colour was easily distinguished from corpus penis which had a white color. There were cornified papillae covering on both the glans penis and corpus penis. Two small nail symmetrical structures were noted in connective tissue just behind of glans penis, and under the urethra of the corpus penis were distinguished. Histological examinations indicated that these structures histologically fulfilled completely to the name as the nail contained an inner and an outer layer, namely, connective tissue and keratin, respectively. Histological evaluations also showed that it is suitable to categorize the porcupines penis as vascular type. In conclusion, the anatomy of porcupine penis was initially examined in the present study. Our findings will make an important contribution to the knowledge of similar subjects.