Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Life

Inside out

22 May 2013

Mammals are supposed to have testes outside the abdomen because their fertility would be impaired if they were kept inside at body temperature. But birds have internal testes, despite having a higher body temperature. Why and how did birds evolve in this way when mammals did not? And why doesn’t this affect the birds’ fertility?

Malcolm Halford, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, UK

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with Âé¶¹´«Ã½ events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, today with our introductory offers

or

Existing subscribers

Sign in to your account
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop