By David Shultz Apr. 23, 2017, 5:00 PM

Whales and dolphins have actually surprisingly interesting intercourse lives, replete with different roles, elaborate vaginas, and a uncommon style of penis that is always mostly erect. Dara Orbach, a marine mammologist at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, happens to be observing these cetacean that is elaborate for 7 years—and she’s made some shocking discoveries, a number of which she’ll be presenting today in the Experimental Biology 2017 conference.

Science sat straight down with Orbach to talk about her work—and the part that is best about learning the intercourse practices of some of the ocean’s most well-known animals.

This meeting happens to be modified for length and clarity.

Q: Let’s start with probably the most question that is obvious Why learn this?

A: Copulation is considered the most direct feasible connection between men and women, but we all know therefore small it, especially with underwater creatures about it largely due to the physical challenges of studying. That we can understand more about these mechanisms so it’s only by looking internally at the animals while they’re copulating. We repeat this by considering muscle examples from pets that died of normal factors. We utilize entire penises and entire vaginas.

Q: and after that you go in to the lab and place them together like puzzle pieces?

A: Yeah. But exactly what makes our research more unique is the fact that Diane Kelly, certainly one of my co-authors, discovered ways to inflate these penises for their complete erect size, that hasn’t been done prior to. (more…)