TY  - JOUR
A1  - Greil, Holle
T1  - Patterns of sexual dimorphism from birth to senescence
JF  - Collegium antropologicum
N2  - Sexual dimorphism is expressed as median of the female values in percent of the median of the male values, of 4 length measurements, 3 circumferences, and 5 measurements of corpulence respectively fat. Data were obtained from a cross-sectional sample of more than 41.000 German subjects, aged from birth to age 62. The pattern of sexual dimorphism is similar in the length measurements. Girls are shorter at birth, but they increase in length at higher rates than boys and even temporarily overgrow the boys up to age 12. Thereafter, males show an obvious growth advantage leading to some 6 to 9% more length in adult males. In contrast, female circumferences are always smaller, from birth to senescence. Though, the differences between the sexes are low in circumferences, up to age 13, sexual dimorphism increases to 17% in the thoracic circumference at adulthood. Sexual dimorphism in weight and BMI is comparably with that in length measurements while subcutaneous fat and total body fat content are always higher in females. The results highlight that sexual dimorphism develops at different pace in the various components of the body and that it associates with a sex specific growth tempo.
KW  - sexual dimorphism
KW  - biological age
KW  - growth-age
KW  - adulthood
Y1  - 2006
SN  - 0350-6134
VL  - 30
IS  - 3
SP  - 637
EP  - 641
PB  - Institute for Anthropological Research
CY  - Zagreb
ER  -