Almost all of us are convinced that the gender of each living organism is determined during development in the womb and continue throughout life. However, in nature there are about 500 species of fish, which if necessary can change their gender and turn from females into males and Vice versa. How and why they do it, for scientists still remains a mystery, but a group of researchers from New Zealand have finally been able to answer this question. They explained this process by the example of the fish called a blue-crested calasoma that live in the Caribbean.
These tropical fish live in groups in which there are several females and only one male. The male sex stands out among them blue coloring of the head, and is mainly engaged in the search for food and protection of females from predators. This lifestyle is very dangerous, so the males are often lost or killed, so one of the females Willy-nilly, to turn into a male and take their girlfriends under his protection.
Why do fish change sex?
The sex change occurs the record time, the female takes on a masculine character in a matter of minutes, and the color of her head changing in a few hours. Her ovaries are formed in female sex cells, the eggs turn into male testicles in just 10 days, and begin to produce sperm.
Individuals calasoma a blue-crested blue male and yellow female
Scientists have not been able to explain exactly how this process occurs, but now the mystery is finally revealed. The researchers conducted an experiment in which self-removed males from several sh groups and thereby forcing females to change their gender. During this process, the researchers carefully followed all the changes occurring within the organisms of fish.
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They believe that after the loss of a male, females begin to experience a lot of stress, which the cells of the female genital organs rapidly begin to die. At the same time, their bodies begin to produce male cells, of which later formed male bodies. In the course of all these processes in females, respectively, starts to change in appearance and character.
What fish can change sex?
According to researchers, the same processes occur in organisms, and other amazing fish that are able to change your gender. The best-known representatives of these types are clown fish, but in their groups, the sex change is exactly the opposite. The fact that most of them are born males, and the main fish in the group are large females. When the female dies, one of the male changes its sex to female.
Clown fish
After the publication of the research results, were the scientists who disagree with them. For example, Professor Matthew G. from the State University of Georgia wondered — why don’t fish change sex when experiencing daily stress? In his opinion, scientists from New Zealand obviously missed something, and the sex reassignment process is started and even for some other, unknown at this moment reason.
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