How do oysters mate

Oysters have no calendar or clock to coordinate a mating time. To make the story even more interesting, Olympia oysters Ostrea lurida , the only oyster native to the West Coast and thus San Francisco Bay, is a hermaphrodite, meaning they have both male and female sex organs. So why would an oyster need both sex organs and how does that help an oyster continue to reproduce generation after generation?

Olympia oysters begin their lives as males and sexually mature in about a year. Then the oysters change to female after spawning. A regular alternation of sexes between male and female apparently continues throughout life. Please consider making a contribution to Vox today to help us keep our work free for all.

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Behold the many wonders of the oyster, the sex-crazed champion of the sea. Share this story Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share All sharing options Share All sharing options for: Behold the many wonders of the oyster, the sex-crazed champion of the sea. Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email.

Getty Images Oysters seem like very simple animals: just two rocky shells surrounding globs of gray flesh. NOAA But there's also lots of good news: because they can improve marine ecology, restoration projects are underway in each waterway.

Here's what to know. Oyster embryo. National Science Foundation "If you look at a baby oyster in its swimming stage, it actually looks like a tiny clam that swims around," Allen says.

Swimming oyster larvae. Via Youtube "It wants to settle down to attach to some substrate, something hard where it can make its living for the rest of its natural life," Allen explains. An artificial oyster reef. US Fish and Wildlife Service 5 Oysters filter the water One of the main perks of restoring oyster reefs is that you'll also get cleaner water.

Watch how quickly a bundle of oysters can clean up the water in this tank. Delivered Fridays. Thanks for signing up! Check your inbox for a welcome email. Email required. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy.

For more newsletters, check out our newsletters page. In the northeastern United States, it usually occurs anywhere from the end of June to mid-August. During this time, a single oyster can jump-start the spawning process by releasing its sperm into the nearby water. Once it does, surrounding oysters begin to do the same. Following the sperm release, older oysters begin to release their eggs into the same water.

Sometimes, a single oyster can create hundreds of millions of eggs during one reproductive cycle. Releasing those eggs is a far more energy-consuming process than simply releasing sperm, which is why an oyster usually must mature for more than a year before its reproductive organs can handle the task. Depending on the type of oyster and the type of area in which they live, the sheer amount of sperm and eggs released can give the surrounding water a milky quality.

The appearance of the oyster will also change during this process. Before spawning, its body is opaque, but during reproduction it often looks clear or milky and practically translucent.

But most people think fresh oysters are tastiest during months when they're not spawning. At this point, he may do either one depending on his mood. If he happens to have eaten the female, the next female will try her luck, wafting her lady smell at him. Crabs have a similar ritual the female crab also molts before mating , but this time the male has to do the impressing.

The molting here is preceded by a scene reminiscent of a frat party. The male tries to impress the female by standing on the tips of his walking legs and rocking from side to side. Even if the female likes what she sees and accepts the invitation, she still plays hard to get for a bit.

The male then carries the female around for a few days, no doubt showing how strong he is, before she molts. They then mate- brace yourself- for a few hours.