A

David

Darling

hermaphrodite

A hermaphrodite is any organism in which the functions of both sexes are combined. Hermaphrodites include plants that possesses both stamens and carpels in the same flower, and animals that possess both male and female sex organs. Most hermaphrodite animals are invertebrates, such as the earthworm and the snail. Usually, the individual functions in only one sexual role at a time, but in a few species, e.g., earthworms, each of a pair of partners fertilizes the other during copulation. Hermaphrodite plants are usually referred to as being bisexual.