Why Do Men Have Nipples?

Why Men Have Nipples

Male nipples. Just why do men have nipples?

Up there with the Yeti and UFOs, one of the world’s greatest mysteries is the fact that men have nipples although they have no clear use. They are not used to nurse babies and they seem to have no function!

Unlike other organs such as your liver or important structures like your tailbone, a man’s nipples seem to have no purpose other than to confound us. Luckily science has an answer for this most mysterious of questions.

Why Do Males Have Nipples?

ANSWER: The reason why men have nipples is because all humans start as female in the womb!

During the first few weeks of development, the embryo is all female. Then, around day 60, if a Y chromosome is present, the testosterone will come into play and the developing fetus becomes male. The thing is, however, the nipples that have already developed are there to stay!

Evolutionary Theory

A differing opinion is one put forth by some evolutionary biologists. These scientists are our go-to peeps when it comes to questions of why or how we evolved certain features. Since humans have been and continue to evolve since the dawn of life, there must be a reason for the features we develop.

For example, walking upright allowed our primate ancestors to see above tall brush and grass to see predators. Our large brains developed to allow us the use of tools to more effectively gather food and defend ourselves. So according to them, it follows that male nipples were once needed but have withered due to the process of evolution.

Genetic Theory

And yet another theory has to do with the importance of nipples. Certain genetic traits express for both sexes due to their incredible importance. In this case, nipples for human child rearing. So, nipples are present because they are vital to the continuation of the human race (feeding babies) regardless of sex. In other words, they are so important that both species get them, even though they only actually function in females!