Talk:Cloaca

Only opening?
"serves as the only opening for the digestive, ... tracts" Most digestive tracts have two openings, an entrance and an exit. CLandau (talk) 17:22, 7 September 2023 (UTC)

Reproductive system
The inclusion of information about avian reproductive systems seems out of place in this article as well as inaccurate. (Birds do not regrow their reproductive systems prior to mating season; their genitals (testes/ova) enlarge from several hundred to a thousand times in size prior to mating season and revert thereafter.) Redtailed 11:09, 23 September 2006 (UTC)
 * It seems the language has been changed to re-engorged, following your suggestion, but the term 'regeneration' still exists which could still be a bit misleading. I think 'regenerate' would refer to the sex cells (ovaries?) which are regrown when the organs swell prior to the mating season. Tyciol (talk) 19:39, 6 January 2009 (UTC)

Phallus
No bird species have a penis. Some have a phallus, which is a pseudo-penis. -Unsigned
 * Like a hyena? It looks like the article reflects this now. Tyciol (talk) 19:39, 6 January 2009 (UTC)

A Hyena has a sheath, with the penis within like a normal dog, refer to picture http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/2263/hyena2o.jpg --Timon b (talk) 08:40, 13 June 2011 (UTC)

Marsupials
Australian marsupials have a cloaca, right? --Josh 8:14pm (GMT+10)
 * For those that do, I expect it would be mentioned on the respectiv species' article. If that can be found, then it can be mentioned here. Judging by the comment below, Jedmichael agrees with you. Tyciol (talk) 19:39, 6 January 2009 (UTC)

Yes Marsupials do have a Cloaca, including Opossums, possums, wallabys, kangaroo's etc etc i work for a wildlife rescue org in Sydney, Australia since 2003 and ive seen my fair share of Cloaca's in Australia, the country with the most Marsupials heh. --Timon b (talk) 14:47, 12 June 2011 (UTC)

The statement "This is one of the features of marsupials (and monotremes) that suggest their basal nature" makes no sense given that Eutherian & Marsupial are a binary split, so "basal" is a functionless term. Rather, "This is a plesiomorphic trait of marsupials and monotremes" or "This is trait retained in marsupials and monotremes lost in plancental mammals". 24.190.13.167 (talk) 20:34, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

External openings
The monotremes and marsupials have one external opening: the cloaca; the intestines and urethra empty into the birth canal. Most placental mammals have two openings: an anus and a "vagina." For them, the urethra comes to its terminus inside the birth canal. Only primates have a urethral opening that can be considered external in females, giving them (us) three openings. Jedmichael 19:40, 29 December 2006 (UTC)
 * That's pretty cool, I didn't know that primates were so unique in this. Tyciol (talk) 19:39, 6 January 2009 (UTC)

Eggs
So do animals with cloaca poop eggs out their butt, essentially? That isn't made clear. -Unsigned
 * Based on Jed's summary above, it's not really a 'butt' (though it looks most like one IMO) but it's more like... the large intestine/omb/bladder are the same thing? Tyciol (talk) 19:39, 6 January 2009 (UTC)

Clarification
"Marsupials and monotremes also possess one (in marsupials and a few birds, the genital tract is separate)." This sentence seems a bit contradictory. Marsupials can't have both a cloaca and separate urinary and genital tracts. Perhaps somebody who is more knowledgeable about the subject can work on this? 206.21.160.136 (talk) 19:13, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Maybe this refers to a cloaca in which the urinary/digestive system have the same tract but the genital tract is separae? I think the cloaca term covers both 2 and 3 in one. Tyciol (talk) 19:39, 6 January 2009 (UTC)

Do fish[/reptiles/amphibians] have cloaca?
I think [fish might have cloaca], but it's not clear here. Can you help? 89.247.247.164 (talk) 16:50, 20 February 2008 (UTC)no answer? )-: Idvash (talk) 15:35, 21 February 2008 (UTC)
 * I wouldn't be surprised, whenever I've cleaned them I've only noticed one hole. Tyciol (talk) 19:39, 6 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Ditto for reptiles (and amphibians?).
 * ie: how do snakes and lizards bump uglies? And frogs?
 * ~ender 2010-06-14 20:14:PM MST

Echinoderms?
The last paragraph of this article talks about the cloaca of sea cucumbers. If echinoderms indeed do have a cloaca, I feel this should be mentioned in the introduction. Also, the article doesn't clarify the relationship between the echinoderm and amphibian/reptilian/avian cloaca ... are they homologous or just functionally similar? —Preceding unsigned comment added by TwirlySocrates (talk • contribs) 14:01, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

Tenrecs?
Tenrecs apparently have cloacas despite being placental mammals. This contradicts the assertion that "Adult placental mammals have no remaining trace of the cloaca". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.166.149.77 (talk) 17:43, 23 August 2010 (UTC) The page entitled "Tenrecidae" says: "Unusually among placental mammals, the anus and urogenital tracts of tenrecs share a common opening, or cloaca..." This would seem to contradict the statement in this page that "Adult placental mammals have no remaining trace of the cloaca". However, this page also says "The only mammals to possess a true cloaca are the...and tenrecs", so it contradicts itself. See also the page "Golden mole" which says that the family Chrysochloridea is also placental with a cloaca. Lriley47 (talk) 10:14, 8 July 2011 (UTC)
 * I assume you mean an adult Tenrec? DB (talk) 05:33, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

Beavers?
Beavers also have cloacas. Beavers are placental mammals.216.214.96.110 (talk) 20:47, 24 August 2011 (UTC) 216.214.96.110 (talk) 20:48, 24 August 2011 (UTC)
 * My recollection is that beavers don't have a cloaca; among placental mammals, only tenrecs/golden moles do. Where did you read that beavers have a cloaca?--Solomonfromfinland (talk) 22:31, 13 October 2015 (UTC)
 * Has shown in this dissection, they have a cloaca. Should be added to the page and the beaver page.24.122.192.140 (talk) 21:44, 12 November 2017 (UTC)
 * I was watching this same video and that struck me as odd. A quick search reveals numerous seemingly trustworthy sources making the same claim (https://www.hcn.org/articles/how-do-you-sex-a-beaver-squeeze-and-sniff, https://blog.ncascades.org/graduate-med-program/giving-a-dam-beavers/, ftp://mymontanalibrary.org/Maxell/Beaver/Svendson,%20G.E.%20%201978.%20%20Castor%20and%20anal%20glands%20of%20beaver%20(Castor%20canadensis).%20%20Journal%20of%20Mammalogy.pdf ). I've started a discussion in Talk:Beaver about this, as Beaver doesn't contain any mention of this, despite it's clear notability if it's true. Arathald (talk) 07:01, 15 June 2019 (UTC)

Two holes?
The article says one hole, but File:Avian_cloaca.jpg seems to show two! Red on the left, blue on the right. Jidanni (talk) 13:12, 14 July 2012 (UTC)

Evolution
One question I’ve been wondering about is, what are the evolutionary advantages/ disadvantages of a cloaca as opposed to two or three openings? That is, why has the cloaca developed and disappeared several times in vertebrate history? (I.e. why sharks, amphibians, reptiles [incl. birds], monotreme mammals, and tenrecs/golden moles have a cloaca, but ray-finned fishes and most mammals don’t.) I tried to look up information online about the matter, but I couldn’t find anything useful. Could someone please do some research and add some information to this article, about possible reasons why, in animal evolution, the cloaca may appear or disappear?--Solomonfromfinland (talk) 22:29, 13 October 2015 (UTC)

The idea for removing the harmful animals.
I'm not sure that Nutria has a cloaca, but the idea of the removing nutria was sew up the nutria's cloaca to prevent defecation. Just like that, we can sew up the cowbirds' cloaca to engage carnivalism, just like nutria. If the animal's cloaca is blocked, that animal cannot defecate and it gives stress to engage carnivalism to kill the same species. Even some people thinks it's the cruelty to animals. Line 8 the Pink (talk) 07:17, 28 October 2015 (UTC)
 * I don't even... -- Elmidae  07:28, 24 November 2015 (UTC)

My intention was some Korean people said that to remove nutria is to block the cloaca to prevent defecation. As for that, if it's not prevented in law, we can sew up the female brood parastic passerine's cloaca to engage carnivalism. I told that if you make the animal's stress, blocking cloaca is a kind of way to prevent defecation and that will be coinstpation. That is dangerous to an animal. So some people think that blocking the nutria's cloaca is the new and best way to get rid of them.Line 8 the Pink (talk) 11:08, 24 November 2015 (UTC)
 * What... the... fuck...?!? Sarr Cat ∑;3

Pronunciation
As I recall from school in South Africa, some places use the pronunciation “Klo-ah-ka”. But it’s been a few decades. I’m not sure how widespread that is, or if it’s still in use in some variants of English, but if it is, then the pronunciation should be included. Park3r (talk) 21:35, 2 January 2023 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 12:53, 3 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Turtle Cloacal Respiration.png

Reevolved feature?
I've failed to find anywhere that says so definitively but in animals like the Tenrec that have cloaca but their more distant relatives don't, does this mean Tenrecs reevolved a cloaca, or does this mean all the Tenrecs distant relatives had one then evolved to not have one? This is frustratingly hard to find evidence for one way or the other. Hammerfrog (talk) 08:56, 15 April 2023 (UTC)