GYNANDROMORPH: Unlike the museum specimen, this dual-sex 'gynandromorph' isn't bilateral and displays a mosaic of both male and female traits. (Photo: Wiki Commons)

The Sensational Butterflies exhibition at the London Natural History Museum is usually an opportunity for experts to wow museum-goers about colorful butterflies from around the world. But at this year's exhibition, one unusual great Mormon butterfly surprised even the experts.

 

The butterfly is an extremely rare half-male, half-female bilateral Gynandromorph, which means that it appears to be male on one side but female on the other,according to the Guardian.

 

Dual-sex animals are a rare occurrence in nature, but it's especially rare for such a creature to be so uniformly bilateral. This butterfly appears perfectly split down the middle, with smoky black colors on its male side, but with visible flecks of blue, red and tortoiseshell on its female side. It also has one antenna longer than the other, a single male clasp on its abdomen, and its genitalia are also cut half and half — the male and female reproductive organs are fused right down the middle....more