BU Dialogues in Biological Anthropology: Does Size Matter? Sexual Dimorphism in Human Evolution (2)

By: sheehanl () in lecture series

Among our closest animal relatives, males are bigger than females and have bigger natural weapons in [...]their fang-like canine teeth. But the amount of difference between the sexes varies in different species. In apes where males jealously guard and fight over females, the difference is large (gorillas, orangutans). Where males and females have similar options in choosing mates (gibbons, chimpanzees, bonobos), the difference between the sexes is small.



The difference is small in humans. But has this always been the case? Are we descended from pair-bonded, monogamous animals— or from creatures in which males fought each other for possession of females? These questions are hotly debated, because the pattern of sex differences in early human ancestors is not like that seen in any living ape.



In this public discussion, two experts on the evolution of sexual dimorphism, Dr. J. Michael Plavcan (University of Arkansas) and Dr. Phil Reno (Pennsylvania State University), are joined by BU anthropologists Jeremy DeSilva, Matt Cartmill and Cheryl Knott for a discussion of sex differences in human evolution and their implications for the evolution of human behavior.

Tags: boston university, Anthropology

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