The species is transsexual in Antarctica

A mussel in Antarctica possesses male sex organs when they are young, but turns into females during adulthood.

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The Lissarca miliaris mussel was first described in 1845 and their reproductive behavior has been studied since the 1970s. In a recent study, scientists at the National Oceanic Center in Southampton city , He discovered that they were able to convert sex, the BBC reported.

Lissarca miliaris sons in Antarctica. (Photo: Adam Reed)

"Previous studies focused on eggs and their offspring , " said Adam Reed, a PhD student at the National Oceanic Center.

Reed said Lissarca miliaris is raising children for 18 months, since the boys are only eggs until they have a complete shell. Females can feed up to 70 juveniles in their shells.

When examined carefully, Reed and colleagues discovered the characteristic tissues of male mussels in the female mussel. They argue that boys have male sex organs at an early stage of life. As they mature, they turn into females to lay eggs.

Lissarca miliaris mussels feed their babies. (Photo: Adam Reed)

"Sex conversion is an unusual feature for bivalve molluscs in Antarctica. But perhaps this trait will become popular in the next 10 years. There are probably many other animals in the South. Pole also has the same ability , " Reed said.

Long-term brooding is a fairly common reproductive trait in mussels and some invertebrates in Antarctica. In a cold environment, the animal's growth rate is significantly lower than normal. So raising children becomes an extremely heavy job. The longer the eggs are sucked, the less time it will take to raise the baby.

Experts do not understand why boys in Antarctica must convert sex when they reach the reproductive age.

"Our findings show that humans still do not know much about Antarctic invertebrates," Reed commented.