Penile sheath explained

Penile sheath should not be confused with Penis sheath (disambiguation).

Almost all mammal penises have foreskins or prepuces,^[1] although in non-human cases, the foreskin is usually a sheath (sometimes called the preputial sheath,^[2] praeputium^[3] or penile sheath^[4]) into which the whole penis is retracted. In koalas, the foreskin contains naturally occurring bacteria that play an important role in fertilization.^[5] In some bat species, the prepuce contains an erectile tissue structure called the accessory corpus cavernosum.^[6]

During musth, a male elephant may urinate with the penis still in the sheath, which causes the urine to spray on the hind legs.^[7]

Male dogs have a conspicuous penis sheath.^[8]

In stallions, the retractor penis muscle contracts to retract the stallion's penis into the sheath and relaxes to allow the penis to extend from the sheath.^[9]

The penis sheath of a male axis deer is elongated and urine-stained. When rubbing trees with their horns, these stags sometimes move the penis back and forth rapidly inside its sheath.^[10] Male bison and fallow deer have tufts of fur at the end of their penis sheaths.^[11]

In rodents, the length of the prepuce is related to urine marking behavior.^[12]

See also

• Clitoral sheath
• Horse sheath cleaning
• Preputial glands, glands which are found in the prepuce of some male mammals

Further reading

• Book: Heide Schatten. Gheorghe M. Constantinescu. Comparative Reproductive Biology. 21 March 2008. John Wiley & Sons. 978-0-470-39025-2.
• Book: Peter J Chenoweth. Steven Lorton. Animal Andrology: Theories and Applications. 30 April 2014. CABI. 978-1-78064-316-8.
• Book: Kristin J. Holtgrew-Bohling. Large Animal Clinical Procedures for Veterinary Technicians. 12 March 2014. Elsevier Health Sciences. 978-0-323-29035-7.
• Book: Mating Reflexes. 11 May 2013. 1974. Ardent Media. 978-0-8422-7236-0. 84–.
• Book: N. Norman Edward Robinson. Kim A. Sprayberry. Current Therapy in Equine Medicine 6. 11 May 2013. 2009. Elsevier Health Sciences. 978-1-4160-5475-7. 760–.
• Book: Auguste Chauveau. The Comparative anatomy of the domesticated animals. penile sheath OR penis sheath OR preputial sheath OR prepuce.. 11 May 2013. 1887. D. Appleton & Company. 869–.
• Book: Richard Doty. Mammalian Olfaction, Reproductive Processes, and Behavior. 11 May 2013. 1 January 1976. Elsevier Science. 978-0-323-15450-5. 126–.
• Book: Catherine Lamm. Chelsea Makloski. Theriogenology, An Issue of Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice. 11 May 2013. 28 May 2012. Elsevier Health Sciences. 978-1-4557-4447-3. 309–.
• Book: Donald Chapman. Norma Chapman. Fallow Deer: Their History, Distribution, and Biology. 16 May 2013. 1975. Dalton. 978-0-900963-50-6.
• Book: David M. Shackleton. Hoofed mammals of British Columbia. 16 May 2013. 1999. UBC Press. 978-0-7748-0728-9.
• Book: Leonard Lee Rue. The encyclopedia of deer: your guide to the world's deer species including whitetails, mule deer, caribou, elk, moose, and more. 16 May 2013. 2 August 2004. Voyageur Press. 978-0-89658-590-4.
• Book: Heather Smith Thomas. The Cattle Health Handbook: Preventive Care, Disease Treatments & Emergency Procedures for Promoting the Well-being of Your Beef Or Dairy Herd. 18 May 2013. 2009. Storey Pub.. 978-1-60342-090-7.
• Book: Thomas J. Divers. Rebhun's diseases of dairy cattle. 18 May 2013. 2008. Elsevier Health Sciences. 978-1-4160-3137-6.
• Book: Debra M. Eldredge . Delbert G. Carlson . Liisa D. Carlson . James M. Giffin . Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook. 7 June 2013. 7 January 2008. John Wiley & Sons. 978-0-470-22767-1.

Notes and References

1. Fahmy, Mohamed A. Baky. "Prepuce." Rare Congenital Genitourinary Anomalies. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2015. 33-41.
2. Book: Edward C. Feldman. Canine and feline endocrinology and reproduction. 25 April 2013. 2004. Elsevier Health Sciences. 978-0-7216-9315-6. 934–. https://web.archive.org/web/20131231131757/http://books.google.com/books?id=elPuvsucuY8C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=(prepuce%20OR%20%22penile%20sheath%22%20OR%20preputial)&f=false. 31 December 2013. live.
3. Book: Horst Erich König. Hans-Georg Hans-Georg. H. Bragulla. Veterinary Anatomy of Domestic Mammals: Textbook and Colour Atlas. 2007. Schattauer Verlag. 978-3-7945-2485-3. 2019-12-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20160511222813/https://books.google.com/books?id=QoXiBjSp368C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=prepuce&f=false. 2016-05-11. live.
4. Book: The behavior guide to African mammals: including hoofed mammals, carnivores, primates. registration. penile sheath OR penis sheath OR prepuce.. 25 April 2013. 1991. University of California Press. 978-0-520-08085-0. 116–.
5. Web site: UQ researchers unlock another koala secret . Uq.edu.au . 2001-05-09 . 2012-07-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130512022713/http://www.uq.edu.au/news/?article=2193 . 2013-05-12 . live .
6. Book: Elizabeth G. Crichton. Philip H. Krutzsch. Reproductive Biology of Bats. 12 June 2000. Academic Press. 978-0-08-054053-5. 104–.
7. Sukumar, pp. 100–08.
8. Book: George B. Schaller. The Serengeti Lion: A Study of Predator-Prey Relations. 10 February 2013. 15 October 2009. University of Chicago Press. 978-0-226-73660-0. 329–. https://web.archive.org/web/20130528112303/http://books.google.com/books?id=7ann2dYn9iYC&pg=PA329&dq=urinate+sheath+canid&hl=en&sa=X&ei=IvEXUZUCz4bRAcGugdAB&ved=0CEsQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=urinate%20sheath%20canid&f=false. 28 May 2013. live.
9. Web site: The Stallion: Breeding Soundness Examination & Reproductive Anatomy. University of Wisconsin-Madison. 7 July 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070716140038/http://www.wisc.edu/ansci_repro/101equinelab/reproduction/stallion_exam.html. 2007-07-16.
10. Book: Valerius Geist. Deer of the World: Their Evolution, Behaviour and Ecology. 11 May 2013. 1998. Stackpole Books. 978-0-8117-0496-0. https://web.archive.org/web/20160623213718/https://books.google.com/books?id=bcWZX-IMEVkC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=sheath&f=false. 23 June 2016. live.
11. Book: Fiona Reid. Peterson Field Guide to Mammals of North America: Fourth Edition. 11 May 2013. 15 November 2006. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 978-0-547-34553-6. https://web.archive.org/web/20160623221707/https://books.google.com/books?id=BSsg8713NCQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=penis%20sheath&f=false. 23 June 2016. live.
12. Maruniak, J. A., Claude Desjardins, and F. H. Bronson. "Adaptations for urinary marking in rodents: Prepuce length and morphology ." Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 44.3 (1975): 567-570.