Question

Which of the following animals shows the lowest degree of sexual dimorphism?
(a) Spiders
(b) Birds
(c) Bees
(d) Homo sapiens

Answer 1

Hint: The lowest degree of sexual dimorphism is seen in the species to which all the modern human beings belong. The earliest member of this species evolved around 2.8 million years ago.

Complete answer:
Homo sapiens show the lowest degree of sexual dimorphism. Sexual dimorphism may be a condition during which the 2 sexes or males and females of an equivalent species with different sex organs show different characteristics or differences in appearance such as differences in shape size color and structure that are because of the inherited one or more sexual pattern in the genetic material.

Additional Information:
- As compared to other animals humans exhibit very low levels of sexual dimorphism. There are numerous differences between females and males.
- Through the process of sexual selection, sexually dimorphic traits develop evolutionarily.
- In determining the levels of sexual dimorphism the mating system, body size, gender roles, and quality of environment also play an important role. In biological anthropology sexual dimorphism has an important place.
- In bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology, morphological and metric traits are used to estimate the sex of the skeletal remains, while in studies of human evolution the level of sexual dimorphism is used to reconstruct social behavior.
- The majority of studies are that specialize in adults because sexual dimorphism isn't well pronounced before puberty.
- In spiders, the main difference is seen in size where males are very small compared to females.
- A common type of dimorphism which is commonly seen in many species of birds is coloration.
- In bees, differences are seen in both size and pattern among Queen, Drone, and worker bees.
So, the correct answer is, '(d) Homo sapiens'.

Note:
- Humans show the least sexual dimorphism with nearly the same sizes and other similarities between both sexes.
- Sexual dimorphism occurs in many animals but also some plants.
- Through the process of sexual selection, sexually dimorphic traits develop evolutionarily.
- In determining the levels of sexual dimorphism the mating system, body size, gender roles, and quality of environment also play an important role.