[Jacob-list] Rams

Gary Fay gary792 at iname.com
Sun Oct 22 23:12:36 EDT 2000


SteffArce at aol.com wrote:

> Hi
> I have a question for the list.
>
> Does the Ram determine the sex of the lambs? (In human's the man determines
> the baby's sex.)
>
> Stephanie
> SteffArce at aol.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> Jacob-list mailing list
> Jacob-list at jacobsheep.com
> http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/jacob-list

Better late than never? Sex determination is a funny thing. Male sperm does
determine sex but females have a few tricks up their sleeves...or should I say
v. The pH of V can be altered to reduce the effectiveness of the Y chromosome
bearing sperm, effectively selecting for females.

The theorized reason for this is a matter of resources. It takes a lot of
energery (reporductive) to create a successful male. And usually in the animal
kingdom very  few males reproduce, they usually get selected down and end up
with a harem, making females a better choice. Sociologist and Anthropologist
have found that when resources are limited more females are born, because they
are easier to mate, all they have to do is say yes, where males have to
compete and there is a chance a given male will never pass his genes on...

Gary





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