Contents

Penile sheath

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]orpenile 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]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mammal foreskin.

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

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