CATDOLL : CATDOLL: How do schistosomes mate?

Adult schistosomes that parasitize the human body mate and lay eggs, which are then excreted in feces. They hatch into free-swimming larvae in the water, called miracidia. The miracidia burrow into snails growing in the water and can reproduce on their own without mating, forming a large number of larvae called cercariae. After leaving the snails, the cercariae swim freely on the water surface and can penetrate human skin.