• aesthelete@lemmy.world
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    21 hours ago

    Do they change gender or sex though? I found that confusing. I know some species can change sex.

    • Acamon@lemmy.world
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      18 hours ago

      Fish changing sex is the most common, with pronounced physical sex changes. But they also usually simultaneously change gender, starting to behave in the manner associated with their new sex.

      And there is some interesting examples of changes that seem to be more gender based. This study discusses behavior changes in wrasses where “male-typical behaviors such as courtship and aggression” start being seen in certain female fish, leading to changes in social status, before any noticeable changes to gonadal organs (the glands that produce many of the sex hermones).