It’s a girl. It’s a boy, not wait, it’s both? Well, being 8
months pregnant I get a lot of comments about whether I’m having twins or
whether I’m sure that my due date is an entire month away. Another common
question, though, is about the sex of the baby. We touched on androgenized females a little bit today, but the sex chromosomes have a big effect on cell differentiation too. Have a look at these articles on ‘gynandromorphs’ or mixed sex birds. Something quite striking about these animals is that since plumage is chromosomally determined, their feathers split down the middle. So do other aspects of their being (like brains!). Have a look:
SO COOL! I know that gynandromorphs are found most frequently in insects, such as butterflies. However, there aren't many sexually dimorphic behaviors in butterflies, unlike song birds. Does the gynandromorph zebra finch sing?
ReplyDeleteYes, the gynandromorph zb's sing. This is likely because they have circulating testosterone which masculinizes the brain somewhat. You can have a look at the studies though were they find cell autonomous sex determination that splits bilaterally, limiting the degree of hormonal involvment.
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