By: Lynk Paul - Team Tracker Member
After last night’s revealing insights into the anatomy of
Bigfoot (at least the one that Rick Dyer shot and killed), the biological term
“Hermaphrodite” comes to mind. But how many animals have been classified in this
category to date? How many mammals? Let’s look at the definition of
“Hermaphrodite”.
Hermaphrodite
- From
Wikipedia
In
biology, a hermaphrodite is an
organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and
female sexes
(note:
“reproductive organs” not the appearance of them)
Many
taxonomic groups of animals (mostly
invertebrates) do not have separate
sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form
of sexual reproduction in which both
partners can act as the "female" or "male". For example, the great majority of
pulmonate snails, opisthobranch snails and slugs are hermaphrodites. Hermaphroditism
is also found in some fish species and to a lesser degree in other vertebrates. Most plants are also
hermaphrodites.
Historically,
the term hermaphrodite has also
been used to describe ambiguous
genitalia and gonadal
mosaicism in individuals of gonochoristic species, especially human
beings. The word intersex has come into preferred
usage for humans, since the word hermaphrodite is considered to be
misleading and stigmatizing, as well as "scientifically specious and clinically
problematic"
For
those who are unfamiliar with the biology of hermaphroditism, here’s a quick
rundown.
“The term hermaphrodite,
is
derived from the Latin:
hermaphroditus, from Ancient Greek: ἑρμαφρόδιτος hermaphrodites which derives
from Hermaphroditos, the son of Hermes and Aphrodite in Greek mythology. According to Ovid, he fused with a nymph, Salmacis, resulting in one individual
possessing physical trait of both sexes. Although according to Diodorus, who mentions at an earlier
period, he was born with a physical body combining both sexes.The word hermaphrodite entered the English lexicon in the late 14th
century.”
- From Wikipedia
Here
are some of the categories of hermaphroditism
as classified in Zoology:
Sequential hermaphrodites
This occurs in species where an individual is born as one
sex, but can later change into the opposite sex. This is different to
simultaneous hermaphrodites, in which an individual may possess “fullyfunctional” male and
female gonads. (Again, fully functional
male and female genitalia and reproductive organs as opposed to the appearance
of them)
Sequential
hermaphroditism occurs in fish like the teleost
fish; some jellyfish
and many gastropods
(eg: common
slipper shell), also in some flowering plants. Some sequential
hermaphrodites can change sex multiple times but most of them can only change
sex once. Behavioral ecology and the evolutionary life history theory are
believed to be the driving force behind these changes. Michael
T. Ghiselin, in the size-advantage mode, proposed that, “if an individual of a certain sex could
significantly increase its reproductive success after reaching a certain size,
it would be to their advantage to switch to that sex.”
Sequential
hermaphrodites can be divided into the following three broad
categories:
·
Protandry:
This is where an organism is born as a male, and then changes its sex to a
female.
·
Protogyny:
This is where the organism is born as a female, and then changes its sex to a
male.
·
Bidirectional
Sex Changers:
This is where an organism has both female and male gonads, but act as either
female or male during different stages in life.
Simultaneous
hermaphrodites
A simultaneous
(or synchronous) hermaphrodite (or homogamous) is an adult organism that has
both male and female sexual organs at the same time. Usually, self-fertilization does not occur. Like
with earthworms and slugs.
Pseudohermaphroditism
- From
Wikipedia
Pseudohermaphroditism, or pseudo-hermaphroditism,,
is the condition in which an organism is born with secondary sex characteristics or a phenotype that is different from what would
be expected on the basis of the gonadal tissue (ovary or testis).
In
some cases, the external sex organs
look intermediate between the typical clitoris or penis. In other cases, the external sex
organs have an appearance that does not look intermediate, but rather has the
appearance that would be expected to be seen with the "opposite" gonadal tissue.
Because of this, pseudohermaphroditism is sometimes not identified until puberty. It is possible for the condition
to be undetected until adulthood.
The
term "male pseudohermaphrodite" is used when a testis is present, and the term
"female pseudohermaphrodite" is used when an ovary is present. The term "true"
hermaphrodite is reserved for the
very rare cases where both ovarian and testicular tissue is present. (Whether or
not that term would be appropriate when ovotestes are found, or only when distinct
ovaries and testes are found, is not well defined.)
Associated
conditions in males include 5-α-reductase
deficiency from a deficiency in the male chromosome (46 XY)
This
is where it get’s interesting:
When
spotted hyenas were first discovered
by explorers, they were thought to be hermaphrodites. Early observations of
spotted hyenas in the wild led researchers to believe that all spotted hyenas,
male and female, were born with what appeared to be a penis. The apparent penis
in females is in fact
an enlarged
clitoris, which contains an external birth canal. It can be difficult to
determine the sex of wild spotted hyenas until
sexual maturity, when they may become
pregnant. When a female spotted hyena gives birth, they pass the cub through the
cervix internally, but then pass it out through the elongated clitoris.
HumansAside
from having an ambiguous-looking external genitalia, true hermaphroditism in humans differs from
pseudohermaphroditism in which the person's karyotype
has both XX and XY chromosome pairs (47XXY, 46XX/46XY, 46XX/47XXY or 45X/XY
mosaic) and having both testicular
and ovarian tissue. One possible pathophysiologic explanation of this rare
phenomenon is a parthenogenetic division of a haploid ovum into
two haploid ova. Upon fertilization of the two ova by two sperm cells (one
carrying an X and the
other carrying a Y
chromosome), the two fertilized ova
are then fused together resulting in
a person having dual genitalial, gonadal (ovotestes)
and genetic sex.Another
common cause of hermaphroditism is the crossing over of the SRY from the
Y chromosome to the X chromosome during meiosis. The SRY is then activated
in only certain areas, causing development of testes in some areas by beginning a series
of events starting with the upregulation of SOX9, and in other areas not being active
(causing the growth of ovarian tissues). Thus, testicular and ovarian tissues will both be
present in the same individual.
However,
genetic imperfections, does not give validity to natural hermaphroditism
in mammalian species in direct contrast to natural sexual
dimorphism which is more common. Darwin’s theory of evolution comes to mind.
Aren’t we supposed to be evolved from these “alleged pre-humans”? With the release of mind blowing information
by Rick Dyer that Bigfoot has both male and female genitalia; which was visible
and observed during initial examination of the dead Bigfoot body; which is in
the custody of Dyer’s investors and their team of scientists; this puts them so
far in the category of hermaphroditism generally.
We will have to
wait for further scientific data to be released about this being, which
specifies the exact nature and reason behind these findings. Is it genetic
imperfection; is it “Simultaneous hermaphroditsm”; “Sequential/
Bidirectional
hermaphroditism”; do individuals possess “fully functional” male and
female gonads (reproductive organs), enabling a form
of sexual reproduction in which both
partners can act as the "female" or "male" interchangeably?
There are so
many questions to be asked and answered. But for now, we should not speculate,
alas we are on the doorstep of TRUTH and DISCOVERY. Shocked and in awe of what
we learned yesterday, think of what will we learn tomorrow.
