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A hermaphrodite is an organism that has both male and female reproductive organs and can perform both the male and female parts of reproduction. In some hermaphrodites, the animal starts out as one sex and switches to the other sex later in its life. This is known as sequential hermaphroditism, contrasting with simultaneous hermaphroditism, in which the animal can produce sperm and eggs at the same time. In some sequentially hermaphroditic fish species, animals develop first as male and then switch to female (a condition called protandry), and in others, the individuals develop first as female and then switch to male (protogyny).

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This article was most recently revised and updated by

hermaphroditism, the condition of having both male and female reproductive organs. Hermaphroditic plants-most flowering plants, or angiosperms-are called monoecious, or bisexual. Hermaphroditic animals-mostly invertebrates such as worms, bryozoans ( moss animals), trematodes ( flukes), snails, slugs, and barnacles -are usually parasitic, slow-moving, or permanently attached to another animal or plant.

In humans, conditions that involve discrepancies between external genitalia and internal reproductive organs are described by the term intersex. Intersex conditions are sometimes also referred to as disorders of sexual development (DSDs). Such conditions are extremely rare in humans. In ovotesticular disorder (sometimes also called true hermaphroditism), an individual has both ovarian and testicular tissue. The ovarian and testicular tissue may be separate, or the two may be combined in what is called an ovotestis. Affected individuals have sex chromosomes showing male-female mosaicism (where one individual possesses both the male XY and female XX chromosome pairs). Most often, but not always, the chromosome complement is 46,XX, and in every such individual there also exists evidence of Y chromosomal material on one of the autosomes (any of the 22 pairs of chromosomes other than the sex chromosomes).

Individuals with a 46,XX chromosome complement usually have ambiguous external genitalia with a sizable phallus and are therefore often reared as males. However, they develop breasts during puberty and menstruate and in only rare cases actually produce sperm. In 46,XX intersex (female pseudohermaphroditism), individuals have male external genitalia but the chromosomal constitution and reproductive organs of a female. In 46,XY (male pseudohermaphroditism), individuals have ambiguous or female external genitalia but the chromosomal constitution and reproductive organs of a male, though the testes may be malformed or absent.

Treatment of intersex in humans depends upon the age at which the diagnosis is made. Historically, if diagnosed at birth, the choice of sex was made (typically by parents) based on the condition of the external genitalia (i.e., which sex organs predominate), after which so-called intersex surgery was performed to remove the gonads of the opposite sex. The remaining genitalia were then reconstructed to resemble those of the chosen sex. The reconstruction of female genitalia was more readily performed than the reconstruction of male genitalia, so ambiguous individuals often were made to be female. However, intersex surgery has long-term consequences for affected individuals. Later in life, for example, the person may not be satisfied with the results of surgery and may not identify with the assigned gender. Thus, patient consent has become an increasingly important part of decisions about intersex surgery, such that surgery may be delayed until adolescence or adulthood, after patients have had sufficient time to consider their gender and are able to make informed decisions about treatment. In older individuals the accepted gender may be reinforced by the appropriate surgical procedures and by hormonal therapy.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Kara Rogers, Senior Editor.

Learn More in these related Britannica articles:

angiosperm: General features

, corn) are monoecious, from the Greek for "one house." Species in which the staminate flowers are on one plant and the carpellate flowers are on another are dioecious, from the Greek for "two houses."...

fungus: Sexual reproduction

...male and female gametangia are hermaphroditic fungi. Rarely, gametangia of different sexes are produced by separate individuals, one a male, the other a female. Such species are termed dioecious. Dioecious species usually produce sex organs only in the presence of an individual of the opposite sex....

animal reproductive system

Hermaphroditism, in which one individual contains functional reproductive organs of both sexes, is common among lower invertebrates; yet separate sexes occur in such primitive animals as sponges, and hermaphroditism occurs in animals more highly evolved- e.g., the lower fishes. Gonads located on or near the animal...

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hermaphroditism | Definition, Types, & Effects

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This article was most recently revised and updated by hermaphroditism, the condition of having both male and female reproductive organs. Hermaphroditic plants-most flowering plants, or angiosperms-are called monoecious, or bisexual. Hermaphroditic animals-mostly invertebrates such as worms, bryozoans ( moss animals), trematodes ( flukes), snails, slugs, and barnacles -are usually parasitic, slow-moving, or permanently attached to another animal or plant.

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Sequential Hermaphroditism in Plants and Animals

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Which one is your favorite hermaphrodite and why?

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Let's learn about some HERMAPHRODITE ANIMALS

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The orange-clown anemonefish is not listed on the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List as an endangered or threatened species. But, there has been a surge in interest as a result of Disney’s film Finding Nemo, in which the main character is an orange-clown anemonefish named “Nemo”. We still need to see this species out of danger.

Activity 1: Experience Sharing
Direction:  Write a short essay (in about 50 words). Share your experience about raising clownfish in an aquarium or from experience that happens in a Disney’s Film Finding Nemo. Write how you handle it or you may handle in an aquarium, how important it is to human and how do we conserve these species/

Scoring Rubric for Written Output

Category
Scoring Criteria Total Points 20
Score

Organization
(10 points)
Written output  is appropriate for the topic . 5
Information is presented in a logical sequence. 5

Content
(10 points)
Introduction is attention-getting, lays out the problem well, and  establishes a framework for the rest of the writing. 5
Presentation contains accurate information. 5

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1.Which of the following is true about hermaphrodites?

a. Though an organism is both sexes, it can only produce either eggs or sperm

b. It is a form of asexual reproduction

c. Most do not self-fertilize

d. Even though there are two partners, they cannot produce twice as many offspring

2.. Clown fish are which type of hermaphrodite?
a. Protandrous
b. Protogynousc
c. Simultaneous
d. Self-fertilizing

3.Protogynous organisms are _____.
a. simultaneous hermaphrodites that switch from male to     female
b. simultaneous hermaphrodites that switch from female to male
c. sequential hermaphrodites that switch from male to female

d. sequential hermaphrodites that switch from female to male

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Draw a clownfish and write 3 important facts that you learned about them.
Write your answers on its tail, body and head.