Science "Highly Mobile" Testicles Frustrate Effort to Calm Hippos in Captivity

listopencil · 01-08-2014, 08:54 PM

Vets for zoos may seek to castrate hippos to tamp down the animals' aggression, but special techniques are needed to locate the organs
By Michael Parker and The Conversation

The hippopotamus is among the world’s largest creatures on land. Only elephants and some species of rhino are larger. Hippos also are very aggressive. Legendarily ill-tempered and entirely unafraid of humans, they are responsible for the majority of wildlife deaths in Africa.

Unlike humans, hippos' testicles are not external, nor are they tucked inside the abdomen. Instead they are located inside the inguinal canal, a space in the lower front part of the body. But their exact location in the canal varies widely, sometimes minute by minute. “Hippo testicles are retractable, and can vary in depth by around 40cm, which makes them quite hard to find,” Walzer said, adding that there had been in the past several documented efforts that tried and failed to locate them, and at least one paper that declared that it was “not known” where they are.

Image: Not Safe for Work

Hippos in the wild rarely fight to the death, with the weaker animal backing off once the stronger hippo has demonstrated his dominance. But in captivity, the restricted space changes their behavior. Walzer said: “It’s important that young bulls are castrated before they become breeding adults, because otherwise two adult males will kill each other.” So in addition to cutting down unwanted hippo calves, castration leaves males much more placid, meaning they can share space with others.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...s-in-captivity

Sorry if repost.

01-08-2014, 08:54 PM	Topic Starter
listopencil Immanentize The Eschaton Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: In Partibus Infidelium Casino cash: $1945880	"Highly Mobile" Testicles Frustrate Effort to Calm Hippos in Captivity Vets for zoos may seek to castrate hippos to tamp down the animals' aggression, but special techniques are needed to locate the organs By Michael Parker and The Conversation The hippopotamus is among the world’s largest creatures on land. Only elephants and some species of rhino are larger. Hippos also are very aggressive. Legendarily ill-tempered and entirely unafraid of humans, they are responsible for the majority of wildlife deaths in Africa. Unlike humans, hippos' testicles are not external, nor are they tucked inside the abdomen. Instead they are located inside the inguinal canal, a space in the lower front part of the body. But their exact location in the canal varies widely, sometimes minute by minute. “Hippo testicles are retractable, and can vary in depth by around 40cm, which makes them quite hard to find,” Walzer said, adding that there had been in the past several documented efforts that tried and failed to locate them, and at least one paper that declared that it was “not known” where they are. Image: Not Safe for Work Hippos in the wild rarely fight to the death, with the weaker animal backing off once the stronger hippo has demonstrated his dominance. But in captivity, the restricted space changes their behavior. Walzer said: “It’s important that young bulls are castrated before they become breeding adults, because otherwise two adult males will kill each other.” So in addition to cutting down unwanted hippo calves, castration leaves males much more placid, meaning they can share space with others. http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...s-in-captivity Sorry if repost.
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