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The secondary sexual characteristics are those physical characteristics that are present in the mature individuals of a sexually-reproducing species and which distinguish one gender from another, but do not directly relate to the process of sexual reproduction itself (ie they are not part of the reproductive system).
For example, some male birds may have very brightly-coloured plumage, whereas the females do not, male deer have large antlers, and in humans, females have enlarged breasts and no facial hair whilst males have deeper voices, and more body hair and facial hair.
It is thought that secondary sexual characteristics arose due to natural selection, because they gave advantages in finding a mate.
Anne Evans
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SECONDARY SEXUAL
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