Bilateral gynandromorphism is a pretty rare occurrence where an animal is a half-male, half-female, split right down the middle. Like this common blue butterfly - male on left, female on right. Weird! But seriously wonderful…

Very excited this is going to be in my big children’s nature book for autumn 2023 which I start writing next week.

#nature #wildlife #butterfly #entomology #AmWriting #ChildrensBooks
Photo: Burkhard Hinnersmann / Wikimedia Commons

@BenHoare more common than you might think. Half and half mosaic must happen in this instance at the 2 cell embryo (or a double fertilization and the two zygotes fuse). It is very rare in humans for a number of reasons, including circulating hormones. But in humans often, there is actually a mosaic of maternal cells and fetal cells. Nature is messy! Thanks for posting this and keep us posted on the book.
@faustosterling Thank you for your explanation - can I get you to write those two pages please?! Tricky bit as ever will be making it super-clear & fun yet accurate for 7-11 year-olds.
@BenHoare I am in the middle of a writing project, but if you take a stab at it I am happy to consult and edit.