sexual dimorphism

Measuring growth patterns in Sarasota Bay dolphins through integrated data methods

Fifty years of hands-on measurements reveal what remote sensing cannot: the subtle growth patterns of individual bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay. By modeling repeated data from 277 animals, this study finds sexual dimorphism across twenty body traits, males grow larger, females mature faster, with strikingly low individual variation. Understanding these sex-specific developmental pathways sharpens our view of how morphology shapes adaptation. For deeper context on seasonal pressures, see our related work on the metabolic cost of seasonal change for these same dolphins.