Arctic pollutants may be weakening polar bear penises

It’s not a good time to be a polar bear. Climate change threatening their natural habitat and lifestyle is just one of the major concerns facing this endangered species—now, scientists uncovered a link between their exposure to pollutants and a weakening in their penile bone. This obviously can cause some issues in the mating habits of the bears.

The research by a team at Aarhus University in Denmark discovered this correlation after studying penile bone specimens, known as baculum, from 279 polar bears from Greenland and Canada. Baculum—a bone lacked by human males, but found in other mammals like raccoons, bats, and mice—essentially works to aid the penis during reproduction.

SOURCE

Thanks to Penis News scout Stewart Levine for telling us about this tragic development.