User blog comment:Lord Loss/Monster Appreciation Week: Baleful Gigginox/@comment-5020152-20130527174340/@comment-86.21.3.121-20130530085528

Another point in your favour: hermaphrodite =/= asexual. The giggi they produce could well be by self-fertilisation, as opposed to by true asexual reproduction, meaning the necessary gametes and reproductive organs are in place. Some snails do this: if they are unable to find a mate but are nearing the end of their reproductive lifespan, they simply self-fertilise to continue their lineage. (And a few ascomycete fungi, incidentally, under conditions of environmental stress, since their sexually-produced ascospores are hardier than their asexual conidia). The giggi we see in nests are likely produced between a breeding pair, while the ones they produce during battle are probably a result of self-fertilisation, adapted as a self-defense mechanism (which is a fairly gruesome concept, even by nature's standards, and well-fitting with the Gigginox concept).