Sexual dimorphism among the Balkars of Russia

[StonyArabia]

These people belong to the Balkar ethnic group who reside in the Russian federation. They speak Kipchak Turkic, but what seems interesting that Asiatic phenotypes were selected more for females rather than the males. The males look North Caucasian but the females most often look Turkic/Asiatic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InVZz3PwgcA

[Sultan Suleiman]

Wierd...

[StonyArabia]

Wierd...

It's pretty interesting, the females are often more Asiatic and on the petite side of things well the males are more Caucasian and seem to have more of stronger and a "Europoid" bone structure. This type of sexual dimorphism seems not to be present in other Caucasian folks, but specifically among the Balkars. The interesting thing is how genders from the same ethnic group take a different look from one another. It's probably the the Turanid/Asiatic elements selected for because it was more attractive to the males, rather than the typical Caucasid female, however the Caucasid phenotype stayed with the males because this what the females probably desired.

[Prince Carlo]

Funnily I have always imagined North Caucasians to be lighter than that. Albanians and Italians are not darker than those people.

[StonyArabia]

Funnily I have always imagined North Caucasians to be lighter than that. Albanians and Italians are not darker than those people.

North Caucasians are indeed lighter than Italians, and look in some ways similar to Balkan folks. The Balkars are the darkest North Caucasian ethnic group and as well they have a good amount of Turkic admix, which is very apparent in their females. This is unlike the Chechens, Avars and Adyghe who can easily pass in South Eastern Europe and are indeed lighter than Italians, Greeks and other Southern European ethnic groups as well they did not go through under the same process of selection that the Balkars have gone through nor they do they have significant sexual dimorphism like the Balkars do.

[Prince Carlo]

People in that video aren't fairer than the Italian soccer team. I don't know about other North Caucasians though, so I will give you the benefit of doubt.

[AR89]

People in that video aren't fairer than the Italian soccer team. I don't know about other North Caucasians though, so I will give you the benefit of doubt.

I agree, those people are indeed darker since I haven't I haven't seen people with very fair features (which are in Italy)

[StonyArabia]

I agree, those people are indeed darker since I haven't I haven't seen people with very fair features (which are in Italy)

The Balkars are partly Turkic which influences their look, as well the process of sexual selection. Yes they are the darkest North Caucasians, but the fact is that Chechens, Avars, and Circassian/Adyghe are lighter than most Italians, and especially Southern Italians, however they are on bar with Balkanoids and North Italians in terms of pigmentation, but they have a specialized regional look native to the North Caucasus of curse which at times overlap with the Balkans.

[morski]

Some Finno-Ugric groups in the extreme Eurasian North display the tendency.

[Prince Carlo]

The Balkars are partly Turkic which influences their look, as well the process of sexual selection. Yes they are the darkest North Caucasians, but the fact is that Chechens, Avars, and Circassian/Adyghe are lighter than most Italians, and especially Southern Italians, however they are on bar with Balkanoids and North Italians in terms of pigmentation, but they have a specialized regional look native to the North Caucasus of curse which at times overlap with the Balkans.

These are Circassians-Adyghe, aren't they?

[YOUTUBE]J8jZa6Gkq98[/YOUTUBE]

Interesting people indeed.