Hermaphroditic animals are very curious, there are very few of them, for this reason they are studied in detail, however, they remain a question in science. Today we will learn about this form of reproduction and which animals are hermaphrodites, surely you will be surprised to learn about them, because these peculiar beings can fertilize themselves, incredible isn't it? Let's meet them.
First, let's understand the vocabulary
The first thing we have to know before advancing on this subject, are the terms that we will be using as we learn about these. Types of animals so wonderful, in this way, we will not get confused and it will be much easier to learn:
- Male: It has male gametes.
- Female: has female gametes.
- Hermaphrodite: these possess both male and female gametes.
- Gametes: These are the cells that contain the information of the genes of both parents, they are commonly known as sperm and eggs.
- Cross fertilization: This occurs when both the male and the female unite by combining their gametes, in this way their genes unite creating a new life.
- Self fertilization: It occurs when the living being has both gametes in its body, in this way it manages to fertilize its female gamete with the male one.
Difference Between Outcrossing and Selfing
One of the most important things about cross fertilization is that, through it, the descendants have a greater possibility of obtaining different genes from their parents, this is because it is created by the union of two different animals, with different genetics. On the other hand, in self-fertilization, the descendants will have the same genetic information as their procreator, this is because, when the father is the same individual, his gametes have the same genetic information.
In individuals born by self-fertilization, the possibility of variability or improvement of the species and the genes is almost nil, since this is a consequence of having identical genetics to that of the father. In addition to that, studies have shown that the children of hermaphrodites tend to be much weaker than those born under the union of two parents of genetically different gametes.
Self-fertilization occurs when animals that possess this quality have difficulty meeting another of their species that can carry out mixed fertilization. However, seeing itself in the obligation to reproduce, it performs self-fertilization. Let's see an example:
- Earthworm: this animal spends most of its life underground, it is always moving blindly. This means that, when the moment of reproduction arrives, the earthworm will not be able to find another of its kind, in addition to this, there is the possibility that the one it manages to find will be of the same sex, this would make it impossible for it to could procreate.
Due to this reason, earthworms have evolved and are now capable of having male and female sexes, in this way, if another earthworm is found on the way, it will not matter if it is male or female, because it will be able to mate and both will remain. fertilized. Although, if it happens that it never finds another of its kind on its way, then it can resort to self-fertilization, in this way it can maintain the reproductive chain of its species.
This example explains perfectly to us about the reason why hermaphrodites were really created. The important thing about this mode of reproduction is not self-fertilization, what is truly essential is that it creates the possibility that the two individuals can be fertilized and the survival of the species has twice the chances.
Types of hermaphrodite animals and their reproduction
Now, we are going to learn a little about the different hermaphrodite animals, in this way we will understand a little more about this reproductive style and what are the beings that share this quality:
Leeches
Like the earthworms that we mentioned earlier, leeches also have both reproductive organs perennially, so, at the time of reproduction, if they do so with another of their kind, both will be fertilized, although they can also resort to selfing if necessary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udDG16e6vdc
Prawns
These animals are really particular, in most cases, they are born as males and remain so during their first life, however, they become females when they reach "adulthood".
Oysters, scallops, queen scallops and scallops
These animals also have two sexual organs, so their gametes are both male and female, they are located inside a bag where they are kept protected. Their chromosomes will be different within each gamete, that is, the chromosomes of the male gamete will not be the same as the female ones.
Starfish
The starfish is the hermaphrodite animal better known to people. They have a unique feature that makes them stand out, because in addition to being able to change their gender, they are born as males and when they reach adulthood they become females, they can also be considered as asexual reproducers. The asexual reproduction in animals It refers to the one that does not need fertilization to be done.
In the case of starfish, they have the ability to detach one of their "arms", at the moment of breaking, they will carry with them a small part of the central area of their body, in this way, little little by little he will regenerate himself and create his own body and the rest of his arms. In addition to this, the "main" starfish will also regenerate the limb it has lost, so it can perform this reproductive tactic again in the future.
Tapeworm
This is an animal considered a parasite, it resides within the body of its host. Leading this lifestyle makes mixed reproduction very difficult, which is why this species generally resorts to self-fertilization, however, given the opportunity, it will prefer to do mixed reproduction, this is because, that way, there are more chances that their offspring will be stronger and survive.
Fish
According to the studies carried out, it is believed that at least 2% of the different species of fish are hermaphrodite animals. In general, this type of fish lives in the depths, which is why many studies have not been carried out on them and they remain a great unknown for their researchers.
In Central America, specifically in Panama, there is a hermaphrodite fish, this is the Serranus turtlerum, an animal that has both male and female sex, it makes use of these to reproduce with its partner, they can mate up to twenty times in the same day , what is peculiar about them is that they take turns and change sex, that is, the one that mated the first time as a male, the second will do so as a female.
There is another type of hermaphroditic animals, these are those that, for “social” reasons, change their sex. This occurs mostly within species that live colonially, more specifically, in the dominant male fish. Usually this is always the biggest and flashiest. When the dominant dies, it is a female who takes her place, she must be superior to the others in size. The same, she will begin a process where she will go from being a female to now being a male.
Let's get to know some other species of fish that share hermaphroditism:
- Labroides dimidiatus (Cleaner Lord)
- Amphiprion ocellaris (Clownfish)
- Thalassoma bifasciatum (Blue Old Lady)
Frogs
There are some frogs that, like other hermaphrodite species, are born male and change to be female as adults. An example of these frogs is the African tree frog, which shares this characteristic with those other species.
Some of the chemicals used to grow weeds in gardens are causing many male frogs to become female just by being exposed to these substances. Studies carried out on these frogs have shown that at least 75% of them remain sterile, while 10% of them undergo a change of sex, they stop being males to become females.
Other examples of hermaphrodite animals
We are going to know a small list of other hermaphrodite animals that you might be interested in knowing. These, like the other species, share some characteristics among them that make them similar:
- Slugs
- Sea Conches
- sea dancers
- Limpets
- Flat worms
- brittle stars
- trematodes
- sea sponges
- Corales
- Anemones
- fresh water hydra
- amoebas
- Salmon
