Hermaphroditism in mouse

[kernelfreak]

I am sorry but i am noob in this matter. My dad asked me to look for this, so i am doing it. What he said is "As mouse is a hermaphrodite animal, so it represents characteristics of both male and female, so it should be able to produce babies and also mate so that the other mouse will produce babies. If that's the case, then how do they do it, i mean what's the actual process?" . I hope i am clear. Thank you for your time.

[mellowmorgan]

Hermaphroditism occurs in many different animals, but it is very rare. All mice are not hermaphrodites, so saying that a "mouse is a hermaphrodite animal" is totally false. Chimeric mice, or chimeras, are the only types of mice with both genitals that can also breed with other mice.

Chimeras are created as a result of the following process:

A female mouse has sex with a male mouse. Two sperm cells are able to reach two of her eggs and fertilize both. An ovum contains the X chromosome only, but a sperm cell can carry either the X or Y chromosome. In this case, one sperm was X and the other Y, so one fertilized egg is XY (male) while the other is XX (female). But then the two zygotes are merged (this occurs either through a rare mutation or artificial aggregation), and develop into a baby mouse with both male and female reproductive organs. But that doesn't mean they are both fertile. Often a chimera can breed, depending on which reproductive organ is fertile. I'm sure in exceedingly rare cases both organs might be fertile.

 

BUT LET ME MAKE THIS ABSOLUTELY CLEAR:

 

IT HAS NEVER EVER BEEN DOCUMENTED THAT AN ANIMAL CAN IMPREGNATE ITSELF.

 

It just can't happen, because if both reproductive systems are complete, which is necessary, then they would be SEPARATE organs (testicles and ovaries) by which the sperm and egg could never come in contact with one another.

 

It is also important to recognize that most chimeras are created in labs through artificial means, via injection or embryonic aggregation, because it so very rare in the natural world.

 

 

[Moontanman]

I am sorry but i am noob in this matter. My dad asked me to look for this, so i am doing it. What he said is "As mouse is a hermaphrodite animal, so it represents characteristics of both male and female, so it should be able to produce babies and also mate so that the other mouse will produce babies. If that's the case, then how do they do it, i mean what's the actual process?" . I hope i am clear. Thank you for your time.

 

 

This is such an outrageous assertion that even though mellowmorgan did a good job of explaining why i feel the need to confirm what he said, mice are not hermaphrodite animals and in fact hermaphroditic mammals are very rare and cannot reproduce with themselves...

[kernelfreak]

Hello, Thank you for your reply. Its not impregnating themselves i am asking for. Its about, can it be impregnate other females and also the same mouse can get pregnant via other mouse...or the chimera...Kindly let me know. Thank you.

 

Hermaphroditism occurs in many different animals, but it is very rare. All mice are not hermaphrodites, so saying that a "mouse is a hermaphrodite animal" is totally false. Chimeric mice, or chimeras, are the only types of mice with both genitals that can also breed with other mice.

Chimeras are created as a result of the following process:

A female mouse has sex with a male mouse. Two sperm cells are able to reach two of her eggs and fertilize both. An ovum contains the X chromosome only, but a sperm cell can carry either the X or Y chromosome. In this case, one sperm was X and the other Y, so one fertilized egg is XY (male) while the other is XX (female). But then the two zygotes are merged (this occurs either through a rare mutation or artificial aggregation), and develop into a baby mouse with both male and female reproductive organs. But that doesn't mean they are both fertile. Often a chimera can breed, depending on which reproductive organ is fertile. I'm sure in exceedingly rare cases both organs might be fertile.

 

BUT LET ME MAKE THIS ABSOLUTELY CLEAR:

 

IT HAS NEVER EVER BEEN DOCUMENTED THAT AN ANIMAL CAN IMPREGNATE ITSELF.

 

It just can't happen, because if both reproductive systems are complete, which is necessary, then they would be SEPARATE organs (testicles and ovaries) by which the sperm and egg could never come in contact with one another.

 

It is also important to recognize that most chimeras are created in labs through artificial means, via injection or embryonic aggregation, because it so very rare in the natural world.

 

 

[mellowmorgan]

Oh, sorry, I guess I just misunderstood you. I know that most of the time when these chimeric mice are produced in labs, they do not have the ability to breed with both female and male mice (provide sperm and also become pregnant), but instead have one functioning reproductive organ and another non-functioning one. Maybe a rare few have this ability (though I've never heard of it and I seriously doubt it), but either way this never EVER happens to mice in the wild. Such an amazing, complex ability is a product of thousands of years of evolution, that cannot yet be copied through artificial means.

 

But it does happen to other animals in the wild. Snails and sea hares are true hermaphrodites. They take turns while mating, so that they both provide sperm and fertilize one another's egg.