Are most males larger than females?
When I go for a walk I always see taller men than women. Do you know if all male animals are larger than the females?
Actually it varies depending on what kind of animal we are talking about. For people and most other mammals, the males are larger than the females. Male grizzly bears are much larger than females, weighing up to 400 pounds more! Keep reading to see what kinds of animals this does not apply to and what females are larger than males.
First, Do You Remember What Sexual Dimorphism Is?
Sexual dimorphism is simply a way of explaining that males and females of some animals appear differently. The difference may be in size, color, or shape.
There are many animals in the Rocky Mountains that are good examples of this. Some of these include grizzly bears, honey bees, and moose (males grow antlers, but females don’t).
Therefore, sexual dimorphism partially explains why for some animals the females and males are not the same size. I say partially, but not wholly or entirely because there can be other factors or reasons that come into play as to why the male or female may be larger.
In Which Animals Are There Generally Larger Males?
Male grizzly bears can be much larger than females.
Mammals – as we already talked about, male mammals (including people) tend to be larger than the females. Other examples include many primates and the elephant seal.
Birds – usually the males are larger. There are always exceptions to the rule, such as with some raptors (birds of prey) the female is bigger. For example, female red tailed hawks are bigger than males.
In Which Animals Are The Females Generally Larger Than The Males?
Reptiles – the female tends to be larger in most reptiles except for lizards.
A northern leopard frog. Females are usually larger than males.
Amphibians – female frogs and toads are usually larger than the males.
Insects – females tend to be larger than male insects. Think about the queen bee or queen ant, which are much larger than the tiny males.
Fish – females tend to be larger for most species of fish.
Spiders – male spiders are often smaller than females. For example, female black widow spiders are usually larger than males. In fact, the female will often eat the smaller male after mating!