Sexual Competition and Duck Penis Length

Examining the impact of perceived sexual competition among male ducks on their genital size.
 The genitalia of ducks are startlingly complex. Due to a long history of forced extra-pair

copulation, female ducks have evolved elaborate vaginas to prevent insemination by unwanted

mates. In turn, through natural selection the penises of male ducks have become increasingly

elastic, allowing them to work around the genitals of the females (Maxmen, 2017). Patricia

Brennan (2017) noticed this elasticity and wondered how sexual competition between males

would affect penis length within individuals of the same species. She assumed that a longer

penis would result in greater chance for reproductive success, and so hypothesized that male-

male sexual competition would have a measurable impact on penis lengths for individual ducks.

In order to create an atmosphere of sexual competition, Brennan’s team enclosed Lesser

Scaup ducks in one of two groups: the first group containing more males than females, and the

second pairing one male per one female (Brennan, 2017). Over the course of two years, the

researchers captured ducks within the enclosures every season to measure penis length.

Brennan’s team then plotted the average penis length in centimeters of the two experimental

groups on a line graph, separating it by seasons and year. According to their hypothesis, sexual

competition between the male ducks of the first enclosure would result in increased penis length

on average in comparison to the second (control) enclosure (see Figure 1). If their hypothesis

was incorrect and sexual competition had no impact on penis length, then the penises between

the two kinds of enclosures would be the same lengths on average (see Figure 2).

According to the experiment’s results (see Figure 3), the hypothesis was supported by the

data. The penis lengths of the ducks in the mostly-male enclosure were noticeably longer for

both years compared to the penises of the male ducks paired with females (Brennan, 2017). The

results are consistent with the graph representing how the data would look if the hypothesis were

true (see Figure 1). This suggests that sexual competition between males may result in increased
penis plasticity on the individual level. However, the male competition may not be the only

reason for an increase in penis length. The groups tested varied in both sex ratios and density,

which means the exact cause for the morphological change in the male genitals cannot be

accurately determined. Furthermore, there are still questions about how the genitals of female

ducks respond in different social groups, such as one with more females than males. It remains

possible that female duck vaginas also undergo a morphological change in response to an

increase or decrease in sexual competition and forced extra-pair copulation. This experimental

question would need to have its own experiment to determine how the genitalia of the male and

female ducks might be coevolving.

Maxmen’s article summarizing Brennan’s experiment was strong for the most part.

Maxmen briefly describes the background for the experimental question, and is clear in her

summation of the researchers’ methods. She also brings up what questions remain regarding the

plasticity of male duck genitals and what factors influence this plasticity (Maxmen, 2017). One

main critique would be her title, “Sexual competition among ducks wreaks havoc on penis size”.

This title, while overall applicable to the experimental article it will be describing, seems

overdramatic with the phrase “wrecks havoc”. This choice of wording was most likely made in

order for the author to draw in as many readers as possible, but it also seems to sensationalize the

experiment beyond what is necessary. Additionally, she failed to include a simplified image

describing the results of the study. Doing so would have added further credibility to her work.
 Figures

Figure 1 This graph shows what the results would look like if Brennan’s hypothesis was true. In

the enclosures where males outnumbered females (black line), sexual competition should result

in longer penis lengths compared to enclosures in which there is one male for each female (blue

line).
Figure 2 In contrast, this graph shows what the data should look like if the null hypothesis is

true. If sexual competition has no impact on penis length, then the average lengths of the two

groups should be equal for both years.

Figure 3 Brennan’s data demonstrate sexual competition having an impact on penis length. In

both years, the average penis length of the ducks within the male-dominated enclosure (shown in

red) was greater compared to the average length of the penises in the paired enclosure (shown in

blue) (Brennan, 2017).

 Literature Cited

Brennan, Patricia et al. 2017. Evidence of phenotypic plasticity of penis morphology and

delayed reproductive maturation in response to male competition in waterfowl. The Auk:

Ornithological Advances 134(4): 882-893.

Maxmen, Amy. 2017. Sexual competition among ducks wreaks havoc on penis size. Nature 549:

443–444.