Is sex not determined by xx xy chromosomes in reptiles like it is in humans? How does temperature affect a reptiles sex?
In: Biology
So for the most part humans have either XY or XX chromosomes that they get from their parents. This is called genetic sex determination, which makes sense. The lizards you’re talking about don’t. For the most part these animals don’t have a sex until 2/3 of the way through their time in the egg (incubation). It’s almost like a switch is flipped on in a certain temperature range.
As a fun aside, climate change is forcing these animals to alter their mating season to preserve a 50/50 sex balance. Higher temperatures are bad for males.
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