Reproduction is an essential process among animals as it assures the proliferation of species. In some cases though, mating between a male and a female seems impossible due to scarcity of mates. Luckily, for some organisms, they can propagate all by themselves.

Macrostomum hystix, a microscopic water-dwelling creature is among those hermaphrodite which possess both male and female reproductive organs.

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Measuring approximately one millimeter in length, this tiny transparent worm has the ability to fertilize itself as it produces both eggs and sperms.

Under normal circumstances, M. hystix prefers to procreate with its kind through a process called by scientists as "traumatic wounding" where the organism introduces sperm into its partner by piercing the latter's outer body membrane with the former's needle-like protrusion called "stylet," according to the Daily Mail.

But in some instances where mating opportunities are not available among themselves, these flatworms resort into self-fertilization by using their needle-like penis to inject sperm into their own heads.

The injected sperm then travel down the flatworm's body towards the egg located in its tail region. When the two cells meet, fertilization occurs and a viable offspring is formed.

"To us it sounds very gruesome, but to them it may be their best option. The alternative is not reproducing at all, so it's making the best of a bad situation," Dr. Steven Ramm an evolutionary biologist who led the work at Biefeld University in Germany said, The Guardian reported.

In the research published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 100 hermaphrodite flatworms were divided into two batches. Half were kept in small groups while the other half were isolated. After 28 days, the sperm in each worm was counted using a microscope.

The worms held in small groups had larger volumes of sperm in the tail area, while the isolated worms contained more sperm in the head area, Abc.net has learned.

The findings led the team of biologists to conclude that when hermaphrodite flatworms are deprived of a mate, they self-inject sperm to reproduce.

Flatworms are just among the animals that can reproduce all by themselves. A new study revealed that a female sawfish can also reproduce asexually through the process termed as parthenogenesis.

Tagsflatworms, hermaphrodite, reproduction, Science, Study