Hermaphrodite Shrimps

RockedBuzz
By RockedBuzz 1 Min Read

Hermaphrodite Shrimps
Changing sex is more common than you might think. Many animals start out as one sex, and then change into the other part-way through their lives. There are also plenty of animals that are both male and female at the same time.

But a few go one step further. They start out as one sex, and then transform into hermaphrodites.

The peppermint shrimp is one of these rare beasts. It gets its name from the red stripes that run along its translucent body, which make it look like a peppermint stick or candy cane.

It first matures as a male, and sometimes turns into a hermaphrodite with both male and female sexual organs. This lifestyle is called protandric simultaneous hermaphroditism.

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