Question

An organism which shows the secondary sexual characters of both male and female is called
A. Intersex
B. Hermaphrodite
C. Bisexual
D. Gynandromorph

Answer 1

Gynandromorphism is derived from 3 Greek words, each meaning, female, male, and form. This is a notable phenomenon in the file of entomology but is also observed in birds, crabs, and other crustaceans.

Complete step by step answer:
When an organism shows secondary sexual characteristics of both male and female it is known as gynandromorphs. Gynandromorphism is a condition where the organism exhibits sexual dimorphism and is commonly seen in insects such as butterflies, spiders, grasshoppers, etc. This phenomenon signifies the occurrence of sexual dimorphism where the organism can distinctly show characteristics of both males and females separately within their body. A common example in insects would be the different coloured wings. Wing colour would be a characteristic of the sex of the species and a butterfly with one wing corresponding to the male colour and the other wing corresponding to the female colour would be observed.
The most typical cause of gynandromorphism is faulty mitosis. During mitosis certain times the sex chromosome does not divide equally. If this occurs early on during mitosis, half the cells of the organism would have one sex and the other half of the cells would have the other, causing both cells to express the secondary sexual characteristics of both the sexes.
Therefore, the correct answer is option D.

Note: Intersex is a condition where the presence of both the sexes are mixed in such a way that the organism or the person cannot be identified as either a male or female. The major difference between gynandromorphs and intersex is that sexual characteristics in gynandromorphs are exhibited distinctly and separately. Similarly, in the case of hermaphroditism, an organism can change its sexual orientation depending on the availability of a partner.