This is the case with clownfish and also many invertebrates such as some cnidarians (a group that includes hydras and jellyfish), sea sponges, annelids, mollusks, flatworms, starfish and arthropods. Among vertebrates, sex change is widespread in fish and even occurs in some frog species.
The majority of “sequential hermaphrodites” are known as “protogynous” (Greek for “female first”): they switch from female to male. This includes the kobudai, other wrasses, many species of parrotfish, and a wide variety of reef fish.
Biology and medicine
Sequential hermaphroditism, a phenomenon whereby some animals naturally change sex.
Sex reversal in mammals occurs but is not as extensive as that in other animals. Gonadal plasticity is confined during the time of embryonic development. Upon reaching adulthood, the gonads are already formed and will not change from one type to another.
Intersex conditions have been described in several domestic animal species. True hermaphrodites are rare and have both ovarian and testicular tissue and exhibit anomalies of the external genitalia.
Although this is a rare condition in dogs, it is possible for a puppy to be born with both female, and male organs.
Hormonal imbalances have caused lionesses to grow manes, a trait usually reserved for male lions that have reached puberty, and there are some uncommon instances of cats being born with both male and female sex organs, known as hermaphrodite cats.
These creatures can change their gender when the butterfly has a condition known as gynandromorphism. Although it is extremely rare, it is still possible, and they are sexually dimorphic species. One-half of the butterflies wings are female, while the others are male.
Clown fish begin life as males, then change into females, and kobudai do the opposite. Some species, including gobies, can change sex back and forth. The transformation may be triggered by age, size, or social status.
Examples of sexual mimicry in animals include the spotted hyena, certain types of fish, passerine birds and some species of insect among others.
But trisex species found in nature are extremely rare. In 2004, a researcher named Marie-Anne Felix published a paper outlining a free-living nematode called SB347 (later named Auanema rhodensis) that produced not one, not two, but three sexes: males, females, and hermaphrodites.
But perhaps the most surprising thing about Auanema sp. is that it's found in three sexes – male, female and hermaphroditic. While hermaphroditism is relatively common in the world of invertebrates, this new worm species does things a little differently.
Yes, animals also have the third gender, like female spotted hyenas, such as external genitalia resembling male spotted hyenas. Worker bees might be considered a third gender in bees since they are sterile females that never breed unless they are given royal jelly.
The authors of the study speculate that the frogs are instead reacting to local changes in temperature or other environmental factors. As far as they know, frogs can only change sex during their tadpole phase.
Cross-Dressing Cephalopods
Cephalopods, specifically octopuses and squids, often employ a variety of gender-bending techniques when mating.
Calyptraeid gastropods, a group of sedentary, filter-feeding marine snails, are sequential hermaphrodites that change sex from male to female during their life span (protandry).
Oysters change their gender
All oysters start life as male, but most will change permanently to female after about a year. Their reproductive organs produce both sperm and eggs, giving them the capability to change gender. It is, therefore, possible for an oyster to fertilize its own eggs.
Answer and Explanation: Seahorses are not one of those animals who change their sex. The female lays the eggs and the male carries the fertilized eggs on his back. They remain male and female.
The great majority of fishes exhibit a familiar pattern with an obscure name, gonochorism, in which individuals are either male or female throughout life. But there are scores of fishes who cross gender lines. For some reason, reef living in particular has had a diversifying effect on sexual expression.
There are species that are both male and female at the same time. No switching is necessary. Other species of jellyfish – sequential hermaphrodites – are either male and then female, or vice-versa, but not both simultaneously. These are natural transgender jellyfish.
An intersex animal is one possessing the characteristics of both sexes. Intersex animals, also called pseudohermaphrodites or hermaphrodites, are classified on the basis of their gonads.
Other starfish are sequential hermaphrodites. Protandrous individuals of species like Asterina gibbosa start life as males before changing sex into females as they grow older. In some species such as Nepanthia belcheri, a large female can split in half and the resulting offspring are males.
The short answer is no. There is no scientific evidence to suggest that cats can have autism. However, cats can exhibit behaviors that are similar to those seen in humans with autism. One of the defining characteristics of autism is a lack of social interaction.
The most common gonad variant found in a true hermaphrodite is an ovotestis, with 50% being found in ovarian position on the right hand side. Ovaries are present in 33% of cases while testicles are found in 22% [4].
Though it is exceptionally rare for cats to be born with no reproductive organs whatsoever, there have been a few documented cases of kittens born with a mixture of sexual anatomy, commonly known as “hermaphrodite” cats.