Eps 4: How much semen can a racoon booty contain?: The question astronomer Ben Dover seeks to answer
— amogus
The podcast discusses an astronomer named Ben Dover who is actually researching the amount of semen a raccoon can hold in its rectum. The host explains how Dover is interested in all kinds of questions, not just related to astronomy. He set out to determine the amount of semen a raccoon can hold in its rectum by using dead raccoons and an artificial ejaculate. In his research, he found that the average raccoon holds about 15 milliliters of semen, but in some cases, he found as much as 60 milliliters. Dover hopes his research can contribute to efforts to control the spread of diseases through wildlife populations.
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Host
Beth Cunningham
Podcast Content
Yes, you heard it right. The question may seem a bit absurd, but it brings up a fascinating discussion about animal biology and reproduction. Before we delve into the nitty-gritty of semen and raccoons, let's outline what we know about raccoons.
Raccoons are furry mammals that inhabit North America. They are generally nocturnal and omnivorous and are known for their distinctive black masks and bushy tails. Raccoons are also notorious for their curious and mischievous behavior, which makes them a popular animal in cartoons and wildlife documentaries.
Now that we have a basic understanding of raccoons let's move on to the concept of semen. Semen is a fluid that is primarily produced by male animals. It contains sperm cells, which are necessary for sexual reproduction. When semen is ejaculated during sexual intercourse or other types of sexual behavior, it provides the female partner with the sperm required to fertilize an egg.
Now, coming back to our initial point, the question of how much semen a raccoon booty can contain. To answer this question, we need to look at the anatomy of male raccoons and their reproductive behavior.
Male raccoons have a penis bone, or baculum, that keeps the penis erect during sexual intercourse. During ejaculation, the semen travels through the penis and into the female reproductive tract. Since raccoons are polygamous animals, males are known to mate with multiple females during the breeding season.
The volume of semen that a male raccoon can produce during ejaculation varies depending on factors such as age, health, and frequency of sexual activity. On average, male raccoons can ejaculate between one to two milliliters of semen, which can contain millions of sperm cells.
Now, as for the question of how much semen a raccoon booty can contain, the answer is not clear-cut. Female raccoons typically have an average litter size of four to five kits per mating season. This means that during mating, only a small fraction of the semen ejaculated is required for fertilization to take place.
But, raccoons are known for their promiscuous behavior, and males often compete to mate with as many females as possible. This increases the chance of multiple matings, which can cause a build-up of semen in a female's reproductive tract.
So to sum up the discussion, we cannot give a specific amount of semen that a raccoon booty can contain. However, we can say that it is possible for there to be a build-up of semen in the reproductive tract due to multiple matings.
In conclusion, the absurd question posed by astronomer Ben Dover has led us on an interesting discussion about raccoons, their reproductive biology, and the concept of semen. We hope you enjoyed this episode, and we look forward to bringing you more fascinating discussions in the future. Thank you for listening!