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Nature can be truly mesmerizing, creating things that are incredible in every way. And yet, despite us getting used to all that and feeling like we’ve seen everything every once in a while, it manages to amaze us like it never has before.
One of these magnificent creations is this lobster that, not so long ago, went viral online. When a fisherman caught it, he was immediately taken over by its wondrous looks, but only after examining it more closely did he realize that this lobster was unique not only for its colors but also because it was half male and half female. Scroll down to read the full story!
More info: TikTok
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Nature is fascinating, and it keeps surprising us even when we feel like we’ve seen it all
Image credits: jacob__knowles
Image credits: jacob__knowles
A lobster fisherman caught a uniquely beautiful lobster, which he named Bowie, as it turned out to be half male and half female
The man in the video, Jacob Knowles, is a 5th generation lobster fisherman who achieved internet fame when he decided to start sharing his engaging stories on TikTok back in 2020. However, he likely wouldn’t have been as successful if it hadn’t been for the Bowie the Lobster saga, which started in late 2023.
The lobster was named after the legendary musician David Bowie, who famously transcended sexual orientation and labeling, inspiring numerous generations to be themselves. Similarly, the animal was unique not only in its looks, which resembled some of the visuals used by the singer, but also in the fact that it was half male and half female.
Image credits: jacob__knowles
Image credits: jacob__knowles
The man wanted to see if Bowie the Lobster could reproduce by itself, so he decided to build a huge container and bring it home
When Jacob first caught Bowie, he shared a video with his followers, telling them all about it and letting them choose whether he should keep it as a pet until he could find out whether it could reproduce by itself or set it free. When the votes came in, the man could barely keep in his excitement.
He started by contacting the Bar Harbor Oceanarium, which not only donated the tank but also came over to help set everything up. They taught the fisherman everything he needed to know to care for his new housemate and give the lobster the best chance of adapting.
When its new home was up and ready, Bowie was released into the tank and, at first, appeared to be truly thriving. Unfortunately, that didn’t last very long. Soon, the lobster started becoming more and more docile.
Image credits: jacob__knowles
Image credits: jacob__knowles
The lobster was thriving at first but soon started to indicate that it wasn’t adapting well, and the man ended up releasing it back into the open waters
Jacob got quite worried about his new pet and decided to call in the oceanarium once again, who returned to run some tests and inspect the situation up close. However, when everything proved to be fine, the men were left guessing, concluding that “Bowie was either trying to shed, getting ready to shed, or was just simply not adapting to the new environment.”
The man’s initial plan was to keep the lobster until spring, when the time would be more favorable for release, but seeing the situation, he decided that it was time to part ways there and then. He took Bowie back to the open waters, gave it a small notch in the hope that it would protect it from future harvest, and set it free.
Image credits: jacob__knowles
Image credits: jacob__knowles
This rare phenomenon is known as bilateral gynandromorphy, and it can occur in most animals but not in humans
This spectacular genetic phenomenon that we observed in this story is known as bilateral gynandromorphy. According to Richard Pallardy of Earth.com, it happens when an organism combines both male and female type tissues and most often occurs in dimorphic creatures that reflect the gender characteristics of their species, making them appear as if split half and half.
From various insects to birds, zebras, and, as we just saw, even lobsters – it can occur anywhere. These animals tend to exhibit both male and female characteristics, and upon closer examination, it turns out that even their brains are split into halves, just like their bodies.
Image credits: jacob__knowles
Image credits: jacob__knowles
But even though these animals still tend to engage in mating rituals and acts, it seems that they’re naturally sterile and cannot reproduce, meaning that Bowie likely couldn’t have done it either.
Of course, this leaves one important question: Can humans be gynandromorphs? Well, the answer is no, which is all due to our hormonal mediation. However, that doesn’t mean that this information is useless to us as it not only satisfies our curiosity but also gives us very valuable insight into genetic research, which could eventually prove to be more useful than we know.
Image credits: jacob__knowles
Image credits: jacob__knowles
Image credits: jacob__knowles
Ultimately, our world is full of fascinating things, many of which we’ve yet to discover. Not every single one of them is going to lead us to some massive discoveries, but sometimes, it’s just great to let yourself be astonished. After all, it’s not every day that we encounter someone like Bowie the Lobster, is it?
What did you think about this story? Did you know about bilateral gynandromorphy before? Share it all in the comments below!
The commenters were fascinated by the story, but they also couldn’t stop joking about it either and kept calling the lobster woke
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What do you think ?
Sky Render 2 months ago
This absolutely can happen with humans. There are recorded and acknowledged cases of XX/XY chimerism, and absolutely ones where it manifests symmetrically like that.
Shary Bobbings 2 months ago
Geneticist here. The lobster is neither a hermaphrodite, nor a chimera, it's a bilateral gynandromorph, which means that one side is female and the other one is male. It is caused by a problem with the cell division, very early in the embryo development
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H M 2 months ago
It's not woke. It's a physical thing. Not something that came off social media or a desire to copy others. Yes humans can be hermaphrodites, rarely. And yes the hormones that affect our gender perception can go wrong, and also rarely, some can feel being in the wrong gendered body. But split in half like this, no.
Michelle Randazzo 2 months ago
Thank you for the common sense comment!!!!
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Sky Render 2 months ago
This absolutely can happen with humans. There are recorded and acknowledged cases of XX/XY chimerism, and absolutely ones where it manifests symmetrically like that.
Shary Bobbings 2 months ago
Geneticist here. The lobster is neither a hermaphrodite, nor a chimera, it's a bilateral gynandromorph, which means that one side is female and the other one is male. It is caused by a problem with the cell division, very early in the embryo development
Load More Replies... H M 2 months ago
It's not woke. It's a physical thing. Not something that came off social media or a desire to copy others. Yes humans can be hermaphrodites, rarely. And yes the hormones that affect our gender perception can go wrong, and also rarely, some can feel being in the wrong gendered body. But split in half like this, no.
Michelle Randazzo 2 months ago
Thank you for the common sense comment!!!!
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