Why is the tip of the penis mushrrom shaped

PENISES come in all different shapes and sizes, and no two todgers are the same.

But why is 'penis mushroom shaped' trending at the moment? Here's all you need to know.

All kinds of strange Google search trends are starting... all the time.

In April, 2022, one popped out in particular, the phrase: 'penis mushroom shaped'.

The spike in interest appears to have been the result of a TikTok user alluding to the answer to this question that can be found online.

It led people to search why penises are typically shaped this way, but many were left regretting the decision.

One Twitter user wrote: "So tiktok made me Google “why is the tip of a penis mushroom shaped” now I wish I hadn’t bothered."

Another said: "Please don't Google why is the tip of a man's penis mushroom shaped…. Just don't, not knowing Is better… trust me."

Why is the penis shaped like a mushroom?

The answer people were shocked to learn is that the penis may have evolved into this shape in order to remove the semen of rival males.

State University of New York's Professor Gordon Gallup led research into the anatomy of willies and their use in 2003.

It was found that thrusting, as well as the ridge separating shaft from head could help clear a vagina and reproductive system of a previous sexual partner's semen.

This would allow the new mate to add his own sperm and have a stronger chance of reproducing.

The theory was tested with models of vaginas and latex penises.

Using a mixture of water and starch, the team found that with just a single thrust, the ridge of the penis could remove over 90 per cent of the "semen" replacement.

Prof Gallup said: "We theorize that as a consequence of competition for paternity, human males evolved uniquely configured penises that function to displace semen from the vagina left by other males.

"Thus, the human penis may enable males to substitute their semen for the semen of their competitors."

Are there other shapes of a penis?

There's no such thing as a 'standard' penis shape.

There's huge variety in terms of their appearance, and none should be considered to be either abnormal or normal.

Talking about these parts of your body isn't always easy, and GP Dr Philippa Kaye has revealed the answer to four penis health questions people might be embarrassed to ask.

Always remember that sexual health is important, and health professionals are comfortable treating issues affecting any part of your body.

The reason for the mushroom shape comes down to one thing: competition for impregnation. In other words, human penises are mushroom shaped so they can scoop out the semen of rivals. That way, their semen has a better chance of fertilizing an egg.

But don't trust our word on it — actual scientists have studied the shape of the human penis. A 2003 study led by Professor Gordon Gallup from the State University of New York did just that.

Penises are weird and that is a fact.

If you’ve ever come into contact with a human penis, you’ll have noticed that it’s unnecessarily aggressive and looks more like a mushroom than anyone ever warned you. Testicles are also confronting but that’s a topic for later.

Most of the time we’re fine with penises and their surrounding… environment. Genitals aren’t meant to be beautiful and frankly, the majority of us are far more concerned with what a penis can do than what it looks like. But when you learn why a penis looks the way it does, suddenly nothing is okay. At all.

In his book Why Is The Penis Shaped Like That and Other Reflections on Being Human, psychologist and associate professor Jesse Bering cites the work of evolutionary psychologist Gordon Gallup, who theorised that the human penis really is a ‘tool’ that’s been manufactured over hundreds of thousands of years.

He argues that objectively, there are significant differences between the human penis and the penises of other species. Most notably, the human penis is especially large, and has “a distinctive mushroom-capped glans” that forms a coronal ridge underneath.

Here’s a diagram I made from scratch:

After a great deal of research, including magnetic imaging studies of heterosexual men and women having sex (which seems kinda... private, but okay), Gallup and his colleague Rebecca Burch concluded the following:

"A longer penis would not only have been an advantage for leaving semen in a less accessible part of the vagina, but by filling and expanding the vagina it also would aid and abet the displacement of semen left by other males as a means of maximizing the likelihood of paternity." - Journal of Evolutionary Psychology.

The key words here are 'displacement of semen'.

The semen displacement theory states that since sperm can live for a number of days in a woman's cervical mucus, if she has more than one sexual partner within a short period of time, the sperm of these men are competing to fertilise an egg. Therefore, the male penis has been sculpted with the purpose of 'displacing' the semen of other men from a woman's vagina. The coronal ridge serves as a removal device that 'scoops out' other men's sperm, so that it is the current sexual partner's sperm, and not a competitor's, that reaches the cervix.

Bering describes this as "a well-synchronized effect facilitated by the 'upsuck' of thrusting during intercourse" and I am not even a little bit okay with his use of the term 'upsuck'.

LISTEN: Porn star Madison Missina delves into the different shapes, sizes and curves of penises, and how each one affects sex. Post continues after audio.

This theory might also explain why men become flaccid quickly after sex, such that continuing to engage in sexual activity is actually uncomfortable. "Continued thrusting would be self-defeating," Bering writes, as "the man would essentially be removing his own sperm at that point".

A lot of things are making sense right now and it's all very unsettling.

While evolutionary psychology is necessarily theoretical, several studies have been able to support Gallup's hypothesis. Indeed, it seems the penis really does act as a 'scooping mechanism', whether we like it or not.

Bering ends his reflections on the human penis with a reminder that we should be glad we're not cats. Male cats have penises equipped with over 100 sharp barbs that rake the walls of the female's vagina.

THIS IS WHY CATS ARE ALWAYS MEOWING SO LOUD LATE AT NIGHT.

It's thought that this super violent adaptation serves to trigger ovulation, displace the sperm of other male cats, and stop the female cat escaping during sex. Which it just... definitely wants to.

So if you find yourself having sex with a male person any time soon, be aware that he's unconsciously trying to scoop the semen of other sex partners out of your vagina.

Which is rude.

Why The Tip Of The Penis Is Mushroom Shaped refers to a Don't Google trend on TikTok where users search "why the tip of the penis is mushroom shaped" on Google and film their reactions. The top Google results suggest that the shape is used to scoop other men's semen from the vagina, according to a 2003 study by Dr. Gordon Gallup. The trend became popularized in April 2022 throughout early May, gaining widespread media coverage.

In July 2003, Dr. Gordon Gallup conducted a study to find out why the tip of the penis is shaped "like a mushroom." The study suggests that the penis is shaped this way to scoop other men's semen from the vagina, allowing for the current partner's semen to have a better chance at fertilization. To test this, the team created a fake penis and put it inside a fake vagina full of a cornstarch mixture acting as semen to see how much would be scooped out. They found that 90 percent of the mixture was removed by the device. This was discussed in a 2018 publication to Metro, where it's suggested the shape is an evolutionary trait that stems from women of the past engaging more frequently in orgies to increase their chances of pregnancy.

On April 18th, 2022, TikToker @pduck11 posted a selfied video captioned, "Have you ever googled why the tip of the penis is mushroom shaped 🤢🤢🤢" showing herself with a shocked reaction, gaining over 1.3 million views in just under a month (shown below).

Over the following weeks, TikTokers stitched @pduck11's video with their own reactions to Googling the question. For example, on April 19th, 2022, TikToker @juliawhyte0 posted a video reacting to the answer, showing the Metro article, gaining over 5 million views in two weeks (shown below, left). On April 29th, TikToker @randmdiscord posted a similar video, gaining over 1.5 million views in four days (shown below, right).

On April 30th, TikToker @seth_in_the_city posted a video demonstrating why the tip is shaped like a mushroom using pieces of metal, gaining over 1.6 million views in three days (shown below). On May 2nd, Distractify reported on the trend, and a day later, HITC also wrote about it.