sexual dimorphism

American  

noun

1. the condition in which the males and females in a species are morphologically different, as with many birds.

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sexual dimorphism British  

noun

1. biology differences in appearance between the males and females of a species

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Other Word Forms

• sexually dimorphic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of sexual dimorphism

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

The main groups in which the phenomenon has been recorded include animal species which feature strong sexual dimorphism; most often insects, especially butterflies, crustaceans, spiders, even lizards and rodents.

From Science Daily • Dec. 11, 2023

Many stick insects display extreme sexual dimorphism, with females unrecognizable from their male companions.

From New York Times • Dec. 1, 2020

Does this mean the same applies to other taxa that show sexual dimorphism?

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2018

And this doesn’t apply just to morphological specialization – like sexual dimorphism – but specialization generally: in habitat, geographic range, maturation age, behavior, and environmental tolerance.

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2018

Bonellia and Hamingia are very interesting examples of sexual dimorphism.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 10 "Echinoderma" to "Edward" by Various