neoteny A form of heterochrony that involves the slowing down in a descendant of part or all of its ancestor's rate of development, so that at least some aspects of the descendant resemble a (generally large-sized) juvenile stage of the ancestor. This may lead to paedomorphosis. Since the juvenile stages of many organisms are less specialized than the corresponding adult stages, such shifts allow the organisms concerned to switch to new evolutionary pathways (see evolution). The word comes from the Greek neos (meaning ‘youthful’). Neoteny is common among Urodela (newts and salamanders) and some features of human evolution (e.g. lack of body hair) have been ascribed to it.

neoteny A form of heterochrony that involves the slowing down in a descendant of part or all of its ancestor's rate of development, so that at least some aspects of the descendant resemble a (generally large-sized) juvenile stage of the ancestor. This may lead to paedomorphosis. Since the juvenile stages of many organisms are less specialized than the corresponding adult stages, such shifts allow the organisms concerned to switch to new evolutionary pathways. The word comes from the Greek neos (meaning ‘youthful’). Neoteny is common among Urodela.

neoteny Slowing down of bodily development, so that sexual maturity is achieved while the organism still looks like a juvenile; this leads to paedomorphosis. Since the juvenile stages of many organisms are less specialized than the corresponding adult stages, such shifts allow the organisms concerned to switch to new evolutionary pathways. The word comes from the Greek neos (meaning ‘youthful’). Some features of human evolution have been ascribed to neotony.

neoteny The retention of the juvenile body form, or particular features of it, in a mature animal. For example, the axolotl, a salamander, retains the gills of the larva in the adult. Neoteny is thought to have been an important mechanism in the evolution of certain groups, such as humans, who are believed to have developed from the juvenile forms of apes. See also heterochrony.