In 2010, Kourtney Kardashian posted an iconic tweet posing a legitimately good question.
In four simple words, she asked:
Do ants have dicks?
And for nearly five years now, we've been wondering: Well, do they? Do ants have dicks?
Your search for answers ends today.
After contacting many ant experts (for real, I spoke to like three), the answer is no.
According to Dr. Jim Fredericks of the National Pest Management Association:
"In short, the answer to your question is no. Penis is a mammal term, but ants do have an equivalent organ that delivers sperm."
Interesting.
But if ants don't have penises then what do they have?
According to Marten J. Edwards, associate professor of biology at Muhlenberg College:
"Male ants have an aedeagus. However, the vast majority of ants... workers and soldiers are all female. Male ants are only produced by an ant colony to fertilize queens, so the queens can start a new colony."
Cool. And...
The aedeagus isn't used for urination and sex, like a human organ. It's just a vessel for sperm. Male ants have "claspers" that they use to attach themselves to the female during sex. The aedeagus comes out of the abdomen, into the female, and BOOM! Insemination.
Here's a picture of a water beetles' aedeagus:
Have a good day!
