baculum

anatomy

Also known as: os penis, os priapi, penis bone

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History

baculum, the penis bone of certain mammals. The baculum is one of several heterotropic skeletal elements—i.e., bones dissociated from the rest of the body skeleton. It is found in all insectivores (e.g., shrews, hedgehogs), bats, rodents, and carnivores and in all primates except humans. Such wide distribution suggests that it appeared early in mammalian evolution.