Transgender animals?

[queerunity]

I read a while back about a chicken who over time had physical features and personality attributes of a hen. I can search out for the article if you all would like. My question is does anyone have any more info about transgender behavior in animals? I find it fascinating. Obviously they can't elect for hormones and/or surgery but they could display non-conforming behaviors.

[Alice B]

In many fish species, especially members of the wrasse family it is normal for a female to become a male when males are in short supply.:eek:

[Deborah Jane]

I think my dog may be transgendered....
He doesn,t lift his leg, he squats :heehee:

[John]

Actually, I beleave some cause-of-transsexualism studdies included using hormones on pre-birth mice (or rats... can't quite remember) to make genetically femail mice behave and interact as males.

I once met a man who claimed to have a trans-ferit.

[queerunity]

Some of the species are intersex or hermaphroditic, I am curious if any 100% bio male or female species demonstrate trans behaviors.

[wishonastar]

Some of the species are intersex or hermaphroditic, I am curious if any 100% bio male or female species demonstrate trans behaviors.

I little glitch in hormones in the womb and you will have a male animal the will allow it's self to be mounted and displays female trates. I have read about that a lot. But I do not think they have a support group though.

[Cai]

I don't believe animals can display "transgender behavior" for the simple reason that animals don't have genders in the human sense. They have sex, absolutely, but not gender.

Tons of species of fish and amphibians exhibit fascinating intersex, third-sex, or cross-sexed activity, though. Most people know the anecdotes of frogs that can switch between male and female depending on population density, for example.

One of the ongoing research projects at my college involves a fish called the Jack Dempsey cichlid. The species essentially has three sexes - female, dominant male, and non-dominant male. The dominant male is bigger, more brightly colored, and reproductively active. The really interesting thing is that fish can and do switch between dominant and non-dominant status throughout their life. And the switch is triggered neurologically - the fish starts behaving dominant first, and then the physical changes, such as testes growth, take place.