In some reptiles gender is determined by egg temperature: Do they have a genetic sex too?

Question

In human, our gender is determined by the sex chromosome, be it XX or XY. In some reptiles gender is set by the temperature of the egg they hatched from.

Can these reptiles have a separate genetic gender? Do they even have sex chromosomes? Can they be male in their DNA but female because of the temperature in the nest?

Answer 1

i must admit the best it is the best question i have seen for a couple of weeeks...........here is the answer

I've written on such topics before, but new evidence has arisen that shows how temperature can determine the gender of lizards. The researchers noticed that when male lizard eggs are exposed to higher temperatures, it "could inactivate a gene on the male sex chromosomes of dragon lizards and thus turn male embryos into females. The sex-reversed lizards look female and have female organs but genetically they are male". In species like alligators and marine turtles sex is determined by temperature alone, but this is the first time it has been noted that temperature could influence purely genetic causes of gender.

i hope that answers it and rubs away any confusion

Answer 2

High temperatures can make an Australian lizard that is genetically male develop into a female. The finding throws new light on how sex is determined in reptiles.

For most reptiles, a gene on a sex chromosome triggers an embryo to develop as either a male or a female. In some species, males have an X and a Y chromosome, while females are XX, as in mammals. In other species of lizards, males are ZZ while females are ZW, as in birds.

But for a third group of reptiles, which includes all crocodiles, alligators and marine turtles, temperature, rather than a gene on a sex chromosome, triggers either male or female differentiation. Extreme low or high temperatures generally lead to more females.

Read the rest here:

Answer 3

It's actually less strange than you think. In humans, gender is actually determined by just one (1) gene that happens to lie on the Y chromosome. Every human has all the DNA necessary to be completely male OR completely female... all that one gene does is turn on and off other genes.

In some animals, as you note, turning on or off those genes isn't done by some kind of 'master gene' like we have, but by other factors. There are even creatures that change gender several times during their lives. Many clams, for instance, are all born male and then some of them turn female either at a point in their life or a time of the year. Guppies can actually change genders in literally seconds.

All of which makes gender a lot more slippery issue than most humans think it is. The Olympics, for example, has rules prohibiting men from competing in womens' events, but has sometimes actually has trouble determining a good way to tell if someone is female. Some humans are genetically male but have a broken or unexpressed 'male' gene, men can grow breasts and even lactate given the appropriate hormone therapy, and there are even women who seem to lack many of the traditional trademarks of womanhood (to put it delicately).

A fascinating subject. Take a closer look!

Answer 4

i've got confidence the bans on same-intercourse marriage are based on the reality that it comprises unnatural carnal copulation, emphasis on "unnatural", and that it threatens a wholesome society with the aid of calling our large writer God a liar. Phenotypic or genetic gender has no longer something to do with a grimy way of existence that grew to become into choosen quite than being born a reprobate.

Answer 5

All I know is, "Dudes are cool, and chicks are totally hot!"