Saturday, October 1, 2011

What role does sex play in the varying shapes and sizes of antlers?

Evidence: In one of the exhibits, there were many antlers of all shapes and sizes. A picture next to it displayed two goats, a a male and a female. The male had noticeably bigger antlers than the female.
Explanation: They varying sizes were because of sexual dimorphism, which is the difference in morphology between males and females in the same species. This can include differences in size, shape,color, and in this case, antler size and shape. Sexual dimorphism evolved by means of natural selection, which is a type of evolution. This can help the animal because the males with bigger antlers tend to get mating priority and are stronger.

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