: scrotums or scrota; possibly from Latin scortum, meaning "hide" or "skin")[1][2] or scrotal sac is a part of the external male genitalia located at the base of the penis.

In regards to humans, the scrotum is a suspended dual-chambered sac of skin and muscular tissue containing the testicles and the lower part of the spermatic cords.

The perineal raphe is a small, vertical ridge of skin that expands from the anus and runs through the middle of the scrotum front to back.

[8] An alternative view is that testis descent asymmetry evolved to enable more effective cooling of the testicles.

[9] Additional tissues and organs reside inside the scrotum and are described in more detail in the following articles: During the fifth week after fertilization, the genital ridge grows behind the peritoneal membrane.

By the sixth week, string-like tissues called primary sex cords form within the enlarging genital ridge.

[10] Though the testes and scrotum form early in embryonic life, sexual maturation begins upon entering puberty.

This is accomplished by the cremaster muscle in the abdomen and the dartos fascia (muscular tissue under the skin that makes the scrotum appear wrinkly).

A scrotum is present in all boreoeutherian land mammals except hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, hedgehogs, moles, pangolins, tapirs, and numerous families of bats and rodents.