The Incredible Mr./Mrs. Limpet: The Endangered, Sex-Changing Sea Snail
Understanding how an endangered species breeds and reproduces can be one of the first steps toward learning how to save it from extinction. A team of scientists working to conserve the nearly extinct sea snail known as the ribbed Mediterranean limpet (Patella ferruginea) have discovered an important clue about its reproductive strategy: it can change its sex from male to female and back again.