Do Rats Change Their Gender?
WouterDid you know that rats are polygynandrous animals that mate with multiple partners of both sexes? In 2008, researchers discovered that male rats can change their gender and take on a feminine appearance when exposed to estrogen. However, this change in gender is temporary and the rats will revert to their original gender once their hormone levels return to normal. Nevertheless, the reason for these changes in behavior is still unclear.
One of the best ways to determine the gender of a rat is to examine its sex organs, which are located on the abdomen. A rat without testicles is considered a female. Another way to tell the sex of a rat is to examine its penis. Females will have dark dots on their abdomen near their tail base and a smaller penis than males.
To find out whether rats change their gender, scientists injected inhibitors into the preoptic area of their brains, a region involved in shaping male sexual behavior. Rats that had female physical characteristics were then given the injections and began to behave more like males. The researchers were initially unsure whether the animals were male or female, but they noticed that the rats were more sexually aggressive when exposed to females.
It is also possible for male and female rats to live together, if they are introduced at an early age. However, two males living together with a single female will most likely try to mate. This could cause problems for the female rat. The female may even turn aggressive towards the males.
