Hermaphrodites are not fictional beings. They really do exist in this world but do not often take the form of humans if you get to meet them. I’m not trying to freak you out or anything. I’m just trying to show you the reality here.
You might think that all the animals in this world, since they are able to reproduce, would only have either one of the two reproductive organs. Engk! You’re wrong. Actually, if you try to dig up the soil in your backyard or explore the beauty of nature…or maybe just try to read your biology book, you would know that some of those slimy creatures we call worms, or snails exhibit hermaphroditism. That means when mating season comes, they could either play the male or the female. They have both the male and female reproductive organs but, no, they cannot impregnate themselves. An example is the earthworm, which possesses both the ovaries and the testes. They have a special control mechanism so as to prevent self-fertilization, and could only express one sex at a time. Another example is the land snail. All land snails are known to be hermaphrodites, and could produce both spermatozoa and ova. However, they do not behave the same way as the earthworm, because unlike those annelids, snails could fertilize each other. They could pass their sperm to their mates, vice versa, ending up with two pregnant snails. This mechanism not only increases the rate of reproduction, but also gives a higher chance that there would be a live offspring from the mating of these snails. Now, unlike these organisms, we humans do not normally exhibit hermaphroditism. There might be cases of human hermaphrodites, but more often than not, they are considered ill, or discriminated and ridiculed by the society. Why isn’t there a large population of human hermaphrodites anyway? If hermaphroditism helps increase the reproduction and/or survival rate of other organisms, then maybe it could serve the same function/s for humans as well.
If you think it could, then I would have to tell you that we have contrasting ideas. First off, do we really need to be hermaphrodites to be able to survive? I don’t think so. The mere fact that we can exist without having two reproductive organs serves as a proof that we, humans, do not need the reproduction strategies of the worms and snails. I believe that each group of organisms on earth has its own special characteristics, which were dictated mainly by their environment. These are based on their lifestyle, the other organisms they mingle with, their habitat, and the like. Obviously, we humans have a different lifestyle compared to snails. Also, I believe that the way our bodies were formed also plays a major role on why we are not made hermaphrodites. As you can see, snails and worms are way smaller than humans, making it easier for them to get crushed. Thus, they need to do something to assure that even if they die easier, they reproduce easier too, ergo hermaphroditism. We humans do not need assurance. We already have a lot of problems with large populations so why should we even bother to think about reproducing easily.
A trait benefiting another does not mean it would benefit us as well. Hermaphroditism did not become a common trait for us humans basically because we do not need it, and also because if we do, we might run out of earth to fit in all of mankind. We do not just acquire traits because we want it, or other people dictate it for us. It’s the environment’s job to sort out things for us. That’s just how natural selection works.
Sources:
Gilbert, S.F. (n.d.). Human hermaphrodites. Developmental Biology. Retrieved August 26, 2008, from
http://8e.devbio.com/article.php?id=266.
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Hermaphrodite. Retrieved August 26, 2008, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermaphrodite.
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