Gender-Bending Rooster/Hen

Most of us remember Ian Malcom’s explanation for the plot holes in the 1993 classic Jurassic Park, “Life will find a way.” The island full of all-female dinosaurs would find a way to reproduce. Malcom was right, the dinosaurs did breed.


“Life finds a way” in nature all the time. Earth Worms, when cut in half, will produce two independent and complete worms. Some amphibians, such as frogs, change sex from male to female in a single sex environment. Clown fish are known to do the same thing. Sorry kids, Nemo’s dad would have actually been Nemo’s mom.

Many animals are sequential hermaphrodites, meaning that they start off as one gender and as their life goes on they change into another. Earth worms are actually simultaneous hermaphrodites, meaning they contain both male and female sex organs.

There are countless examples in the animal kingdom of organisms switching genders in extreme environments. But these examples were all primarily in amphibians, reptiles, and fish… until not.

Gianni was born a Rooster. He started the morning like every other rooster, crowing with the sunrise and waking up his owners on their farm in Tuscany. When a fox raided Gianni’s pen and killed all of the hens inside, Gianni decided it was time for a change... apparently a sex change.

(Original Image: Here)

Within days of the incident, the bird started laying eggs and trying to hatch them.

Scientists at the United Nation’s Farm and Agriculture Organization are baffled by the sex-change chicken. They plan to study Gianni’s DNA to see what made him change. An expert at the center said “It may be a primitive species survival gene. With all the females gone he could only ensure the future of his line by becoming female.”

Gianni is quoted as saying ‘Now I’m a chick!’ (Okay. That part wasn’t true.)

Whatever the reasons for it, Gianni’s gender-bending is fascinating and I wish this Rooster-Hen the best of luck!