Sexual Dimorphism (C/N)

Disambiguation LinksSexual Dimorphism (S/F)

In animals, there is a phenotypic difference between the males and females of the same species in size, ornamentation, morphology, and behavior which is called sexual dimorphism. Some of the most prominent examples in modern animals are brighter plumage, scales, or fur in males because the males of the species are the ones which need a bright, colorful appearance to attract a mate; greater size in males because a stronger male is more likely to win out over another and earn a mate; and additional ornamentation, also in males, which are similarly used in mating displays or serve some other purpose. In some animals, the female is notably the larger and more dominant of the species, such as in the anglerfish, in which the female forms the main body while the male essentially fuses onto her and serves only reproductive functions.

Sexual dimorphism is also present in some of the dinosaurs cloned by InGen: a pair of Dilophosaurus seen by Alan Grant, for instance, exhibited sexual dimorphism. They were seen engaging in a courtship ritual of some kind and one was “smaller, and duller.”