Transgendered animals on the increase

[urbpan]

From anais2

A variety of different chemicals are found to disrupt hormones in vertebrates, affecting mostly male animals:

"Half the male fish in British lowland rivers have been found to be developing eggs in their testes..."
"...Research at the University of Florida earlier this year found that 40 per cent of the male cane toads ... had become hermaphrodites in a heavily farmed part of the state..."
"...Two-thirds of male Sitka black-tailed deer in Alaska have been found to have undescended testes and deformed antler growth..."
"It is calculated that 250,000 babies who would have been boys have been born as girls instead in the US and Japan alone."


(I didn't think I'd ever get to use my "transgendered animals" tag again."

Comments

[whatisbiscuits.livejournal.com]

It's all a big feminist plot :)

[candent.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure it would be "intersex" animals.

[buboniclou.livejournal.com]

She's right...transgendered implies they decided to switch. Beluga whales, I could see having the intelligence to make that decision, but not eland. Eland are dumb mofo's.

[candent.livejournal.com]

"He" :)

[buboniclou.livejournal.com]

Details, details ;)

[almeda.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who was coming in here to make that nitpick.

You make me feel better. :->

[buboniclou.livejournal.com]

There are very few news articles that make me go O.O but this was one. I knew about the fish and amphibians, but none of the other stuff.

Also, because I am 13 years old, lol @ "male tool kit"

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

As I explain in my lecture on intersex, there's a good dozen genes and enzyme cascades (that we know of) that affect the selection of Müllerian ducts or Wolffian ducts for development in humans. The postulated number of intersex babies doesn't surprise me at all, though I need to track down the original study so I can add the data to my lecture! :)

[txtriffidranch.livejournal.com]

When I first heard about this in alligators four years ago, I was a bad person. I could see the movie about the phenomenon being called "Priscilla, Queen of the Bayou".