Rensch's Rule
Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-28
CORE DEFINITION
Rensch's rule is a biological law proposed by German biologist Bernhard Rensch concerning the relationship between body size and sexual size dimorphism. When males are larger, sexual size dimorphism increases with increasing average body size of the species; when females are larger, sexual size dimorphism decreases with increasing body size. Taxa following this rule include primates, pinnipeds, and artiodactyls.
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Rensch's rule is a biological law proposed by German biologist Bernhard Rensch concerning the relationship between body size and sexual size dimorphism. When males are larger, sexual size dimorphism increases with increasing average body size of the species; when females are larger, sexual size dimorphism decreases with increasing body size. Taxa following this rule include primates, pinnipeds, and artiodactyls.
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Sexual dimorphism magnitude scales with body size (allometric growth): in larger species, the dominant sex becomes more massive and the weaker sex relatively smaller, amplifying differences; scale and polarization are positively correlated.
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- zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BC%A6%E6%96%BD%E6%B3%95%E5%88%99verified
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