Other Hair Morphologies opus 812
| 4 April 2026 1411 Hours | | Anatomy, Anthropology, Biology, Environment, Evolution, Science, Zoology |
Beards are a secondary sexual characteristic.
They gave warmth, protection, showed virility,
Maturity or social dominance.
They attract mates, intimidate rivals,
And yield minor UV protection.
Style has gone from a symbol of natural power
To an indicator of unkemptness, and now,
A curated fashion statement.
Different cultures viewed the amount of hair differently.
Greeks sported beards, while Romans were clean-shaven.
Two thousand years ago, trimming was performed
With shells, flint, or bronze.
Chest hair served roughly the same purpose
Armpit or axillary hair functioned to trap
And disperse pheromones
From apocrine sweat glands to attract mates.
It also acted as a natural lubricant to reduce skin friction.
Additionally, it likely served as a protective barrier
For high-vascularity areas, plus signalling sexual maturity.
Pubic hair signals the area for mating purposes.
It also traps pheromones and acts as a maturity signal.
It possibly evolved about 3.3 million years ago
With the loss of the majority of body hair.
It also reduces friction, provides warmth,
And acts as a barrier to bacteria.
In humans, it appears during puberty--unique to humans.
It probably is not vestigial, because it is functiional
And it is a specialized feature of human sexual anatomy.
Do consider the coevolution of lice from rodents
To gorillas and shared by chimps and humans.