Untying the Knot

Sorry, if you are searching the internet for something rude about foxy ladies …this isn’t it. It’s actually more of a sex education video. For foxes! On a misty, frosty morning at the edge of the lawn … two magnificent foxes in a coital entanglement. They seem bewildered and want to get away, but cannot. It all looks painful, at least until the vixen jumps and rolls exuberantly after they separate. However, looks can be deceptive and all this is apparently normal. Wikipedia has an explanation of this “knotting” in the dog family: Male canines have a locking bulbus glandis, a spherical area of erectile tissue at the base of the penis. During copulation, and only after the male's penis is fully inside the female's vagina, the bulbus glandis becomes engorged. When the vagina subsequently contracts, the penis becomes locked inside the female. This is known as "tying" or “knotting". When the two animals become locked together during mating, the male will usually lift a leg and swing it over the female's back while turning around. The two then stand with their hind ends touching, as seen in the video. It’s thought that having the penis locked inside the vagina in this way makes the mating more likely to succeed, by reducing leakage of semen. After some time, maybe up to half an hour, the bulbus glandis disengorges, allowing the male and female to separate. After mating the male usually cleans his genitalia, as seen here. Meanwhile, the female is free to enjoy a job well done!