A Sequential Hermaphrodite is an organism with both male and female sex organs that mature at different times, thus an animal can be born male and change into a female.
Sequential Hermaphroditism is common in fish, gastropods and most flowering plants. Some sequential hermaphrodites can change sex multiple times, but most can only change sex once.
Sequential Hermaphrodites fall into two broad categories:
Protandry - where an organism is born male and changes into a female. An example of this is the clownfish.
Protogyny - where an organism is born female and changes into a male. This is common in a group of reef fish called Wrasses.
Associated Terms: Sequential Hermaphrodites, Sequential Hermaphroditism