Will Ivy someday become Ivan? Researchers have been monitoring Ivy since 2015 to gain a better understanding of how her gender as a giant grouper or lapu-lapu might change over the years. There is no record of Ivy’s exact age since her adoption in 2015. The latest data show she weighs around 29 kilograms. Ivy is now housed comfortably in Nueva Valencia, Guimaras, albeit in a cage, as part of a study to better understand the gender issues that surround her and her kin. Born without a gender and only an inconspicuous genital opening, thin plastic tubes were inserted into Ivy’s body once a month. It was only in January 2018 that researchers of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) finally concluded that Ivy was a female, after detecting eggs developing within her.

Dianala, R. D. (2019, December 7). The story of Ivy, Lito: ‘Straight’ males do exist, may help save threatened lapu-lapu. Panay News, p. B8.