CHANCES are most blokes are very well acquainted with their manhood.
The shape and size will come as no surprise.
Most blokes know exactly what their manhood looks like, but do you know WHY it looks like it does?Getty – Contributor
But have you ever stopped to question WHY your todger is designed like that?
And no we’re not talking length here…or girth for that matter.
We’re talking the head of the penis if you will. The part that looks a little bit like a mushroom…sort of.
Why is the penis mushroom shaped?
Way back when, experts believe the penis evolved to become a “tool”, with a ridge to remove the semen of love rivals – basically to make sure you are the one that gets the girl pregnant. Survival of the fittest, and all.
Professor Gordon Gallup from the State University of New York led a team of scientists to investigate the anatomy of the human penis, and its use in 2003.
They found the thrust of the penis – and the ridge that separates the head from the shaft – could help clear a woman’s vagina and reproductive system of a previous lover’s sperm.
They tested their theory in the lab – with latex penises and model vaginas.
Mixing starch and water together, they found the ridge around the top of a man’s penis could scoop out more than 90 per cent of the “semen” substitute, in just one thrust.
Prof Gallup told the BBC at the time: “We theorize that as a consequence of competition for paternity, human males evolved uniquely configured penises that function to displace semen from the vagina left by other males.
“Thus, the human penis may enable males to substitute their semen for the semen of their competitors.”
MORE ON MEN's HEALTH
MANHOOD
Why is the penis mushroom shaped?
LAD CHAT
I'm a doctor and here’s why men must never avoid a rectal examination
ROT HORROR
Man’s penis turns black and rots after he injected it with cocaine
NEED TO KNOW
Everything you need to know about where the prostate is and what it does
PILL FOR MEN
Male contraceptive pill '99% effective in preventing pregnancy'
SPERM AT STEAK
Eating too much meat raises risk of blokes becoming infertile, study claims
CLOSE CALL
I thought my chest pain was indigestion – I had no idea I nearly DIED
BREW CAN DO IT
I'm a PT and this is how to get rid of a beer belly (WITHOUT ditching pints)
OH BOY!
Boy is born with TWO ‘fully functional’ penises due to incredibly rare birth defect
MAYBE BABY
The 9 things you should do NOW if you want kids in 5 years’ time
He said they found evidence that couples tend to have more energetic sex if the woman has been suspected of cheating, or if a couple has been apart.
It could, he said, be down to a sub-conscious desire to rid his partner of any trace of another man’s semen.
Prof Gallup’s colleague, Rebecca Burch added: “A longer penis would not only have been an advantage for leaving semen in a less accessible part of the vagina, but by filling and expanding the vagina it also would aid and abet the displacement of semen left by other males as a means of maximising the likelihood of paternity,” in the study, published in the Journal of Evolutionary Psychology.
The theory dates from centuries ago when women would have sex with a number of partners, to increase their chances of getting pregnant.
So, while that might be why the human penis evolved as it did, chances are it will be less important to blokes these days.
What other penis shapes are there?
To be frank, there are so many different kinds of penis shapes.
There is no standard shape, and no penis should be considered normal or abnormal.
While most will be variations on the mushroom shape, they can have a variety of differences.
Size, girth, angle or circumcision are all among the factors that can lead men to have different looking penises.