Secondary sexual characteristic

Goldie's Bird-of-paradise: the male is ornamented while the female is not.

A secondary sexual characeristic refers to any physical trait that can have an influence on sexual reproduction without directly impacting reproductive function itself.

These characteristics usually develop in a species during the journey to sexual maturity. In humans, for example, secondary sexual characteristics begin to develop during puberty, typically associated with hormone secretions.^[1]

Examples

Examples of a human secondary sexual characteristic include:

Men:

• Facial hair
• Vocal pitch
• Muscular development

Women:

• Development of the mammary glands
• Pelvic structure (physical attraction, but also childbearing abilities)

See Also

Browse

• Sexual reproduction
• Sexual selection