WEIRED ANIMALS: This Worm Injects Sperm Into its Own Head

KUJISHINDIA MAMILIONI KATIKA DROO HII BONYEZA HAPA CHINI UJIUNGE KATIKA BAHATI NASIBU,NA ILI UIBUKE MSHINDI HAKIKISHA KILA SIKU WABONYEZA PICHA CHINI YA MANENO HAYA;

What do you do when you can't find a date? Most people choose stay home on the couch and destroy a tub of ice cream or stacking their eyes on the monitors of displaying Devices as they wallow in their loneliness and misery.

When left without a mate, a newly discovered species of flatworm (Macrostomum hystrix) takes matters into its own hands -- so to speak. The hermaphroditic worm can use a special "needle-like male copulatory organ" mounted on its head to inject sperm into the back half of its body, where the sperm will then fertilize the worm's own eggs.

The process is known as "selfing", and was easily observable in M. hystrix thanks to the creature's transparent body. Selfing isn't unheard of in nature, but the flatworm's unique method of injecting sperm is notable:

"As far as we know, this is the first described example of hypodermic self-injection of sperm into the head. To us this sounds traumatic, but to these flatworms it may be their best bet if they cannot find a mate but still want to reproduce" remarked Dr. Steven Ramm, who penned a new study detailing the worm's bizarre mating habit.

The self-fertilization method isn't perfect -- the resulting offspring are inbred. Ramm notes, however, that inbred offspring are better than no offspring.

Next time you're home alone on a Friday night, just remember: it could be a lot worse.

 Article by: Danny Clemens ; fetched from:

KUJIUNGA NA KINYANG'ANYIRO CHA PIKIPIKI AINA YA BOXER BONYEZA PICHA CHINI YA MANENO HAYA NA UIBUKE MSHINDI,BONYEZA MARA NYINGI UWEZAVYO KUIBUKA MSHINDI;

Filed Under: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY on Wednesday, July 1, 2015