About secondary sexual characteristics, you should know that a sexual characteristic refers to those characteristics that are related to sexual reproduction.
Any living organism, vegetal or animal, that is able to reproduce has sex characteristics.
Secondary sex characteristics
The main difference between the primary and secondary characteristics is that the secondary ones have no specific purpose in reproduction. Nonetheless they are meant to differentiate the sexes within a species.
Usually these have nothing to do with reproduction itself since they are only meant to indicate sex.
Gender specifics
One of the sex characteristics that are secondary is facial hair in case of men. In case of some species the characteristics are used to enhance the attractiveness of one sex towards the opposite sex.
This is why the characteristics do have an important role to play when it comes to reproduction.
As an example regarding the secondary sexual characteristics is the fact that the male peacocks attract the female peacocks with the help of their colorful tail feathers.
In the same time the cockerels have combs, male birds have colored plumage and male lions have manes.
As it was mentioned before, they also include facial hair in case of men. On the other hand women have rounder and wider hips and less muscular bodies. When it comes to the sexual characteristics that are secondary in case of women we also have to mention the prominent mammary glands and breasts.
Hormones responsible for secondary sexual characteristics
In many cases the secondary sexual characteristics develop as a result of the completion among males as a natural process of sexual selection. These characteristics are developed with the help of sex hormones. In case of humans there is a change of concentrations of such hormones during puberty.
Puberty changes
Because of the changes of the hormone levels the secondary sexual traits appear not only on a physical level, but also on an emotional level. During puberty these characteristics develop as a result of the presence of estrogen in the body of women while in case of men the hormone acting is testosterone.
If you are interested in the secondary sexual characteristics you should know that testosterone is produced in the testes of men. In the same time estrogen is produced in the ovaries of women. As a result women have wider hips and larger breasts.
Sexual traits indicate sexual maturity
On the other hand the sexual traits that are secondary in case of men include deeper voice, facial and body hair and a stronger body odor. Both genders will end up with hair in the genital and in the underarm region. Even more, during puberty the sexual organs develop. As a result of this development and of the changes of the hormones young people will be ready for sexual reproduction.
Now you know a little more about secondary sexual characteristics. You may know that these are the characteristics that differentiate men from women. We aren’t referring to the genital organs themselves but to the physical differences that don’t really have a direct role to play in reproduction but they offer an indirect aid to the process.
