Analysis reveals morphological and bite force differences between male and female lizards, suggesting sexual selection influences traits.
Lizards exhibit sexual dimorphism in various phenotypic traits and whole-organism performance (e.g. bite force). The patterns of sexual dimorphism vary among genera and species. The relationship between morphology and function is dynamic, and selective pressures can differentially affect bite performance in different sexes. Here, we analysed sexual dimorphism in morphological traits and bite force, and explored the determinants of bite force between two sexes in the mountain dragon Diploderma batangense from western China. A total of 135 individuals were collected and seven morphological characteristics and bite force were measured. We found a significant male bias in morphology and bite force performance, with males exhibiting larger head size, body size and bite force than females, which may be explained by sexual selection. Results also showed that bite force was positively correlated with head size, with the determinant affecting bite force differing between males (mouth length) and females (head width), which may be related to their different roles in reproduction. This study provides a reference for understanding the ecological adaptability of mountain dragons in the field and lays a foundation for revealing the mechanism of bite force variation between the sexes.
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Li et al. (2025) studied this question.
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