• Question: Are there any animals that can change their gender?

    Asked by ameb to Charlotte, Jo, Kevin, Louise, Valeria on 18 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Kevin Mahon

      Kevin Mahon answered on 18 Jun 2012:

      Yes there are! Weird as it may seem it does happen!

      Limpets (kind of snail found in the sea) can change their sex during their lifetime! Some species of worms are born with an unknown gender, but if they cross a female, they will turn into a male and start mating. If they don’t, they become females themselves!

      Sheepheads (a type of fish) are typically born a male and then gradually turn into a female over the years.

      There others but thats a start! Animals that can change their gender throughout their lifetime are called sequential hermaphrodites.

    • Photo: Joanna Cruden

      Joanna Cruden answered on 18 Jun 2012:

      Others that can change their gender are shrimps, rana rugosa frog and guppies, it usually happens when the local species is running low on either males or females!

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