General Question

Your_Majesty's avatar

Evolutionary speaking,what is the purpose of 'teat' for men?

Asked by Your_Majesty (8235points) September 7th, 2010

OK folks we know that the main purpose of teat in women is an asset for feeding our newborn baby. Men have teat too,but it seems like they have no (evolutionary speaking!,please) real purpose for reproduction or to sustain themselves.

Our cousin,other primate family member too have the same main anatomy as we do,teat is also present on males,but they never use it for reproduction means. There’s no licking or such sexual stimulation for their teat but it still exists there,and this is an unique trait that only presents in Primate family.

So why Primate family,including men,still posses teat till nowadays? Is this just a trace that left behind by our evolutionary process? (like the ‘pseudo-feet’ in anaconda family).

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20 Answers

syz's avatar

Because fetal development is essentially identical for both sexes until hormones begin to differentiate structures.

poisonedantidote's avatar

think of it as a time saving feature, before it is decided if you will be male or female you are given some anyway.

Your_Majesty's avatar

@syz OK I understand,but we also know that there’s a hormone that responsible for our ‘tailbone’ but it diminished during our Evolution process. But why won’t the hormone that responsible for the development of teat in men diminish as well? Male have their particular hormones like growing beard,stronger jaw,etc. Their hormone for teat is different than women but why it still resemble the size of women’ teat,why won’t it experience any changes?,beside the existence of milk-producing organ.

MRSHINYSHOES's avatar

So babies can suck on it in place of a soother, between milk times with their mothers, while their daddies spend some “quality time” with them?

GeorgeGee's avatar

Males and females aren’t different kinds of creatures, they are two flavors of the same animal.

LuckyGuy's avatar

It reduces the parts count. Just like AM car radios were really AM-FM radios that has a bad FM stage.

Your_Majesty's avatar

@MRSHINYSHOES I’ve never seen any male Primates doing such behavior toward their babies. But it gives sense.

@GeorgeGee I didn’t say they are different creature. I just curious about the development and existence of teat in both sexes.

@worriedguy I don’t understand. Can you elaborate a little bit further?

Katexyz's avatar

Basically it is because male and female humans are both based on the same template, and that is the female body. The presence of testosterone in the womb causes the development of male characteristics, whereas the absence of such causes the fetus to develop female characteristics. Everything is conserved in humans, because nature is efficient. Consider this, male and female reproductive organs are rather similar if you actually compare the structure, with the difference in location and function caused by which sex hormone is responsible for development.

Long story short, there is a male teat because there is a female teat.

Your_Majesty's avatar

@Katexyz Good explanation!

Katexyz's avatar

@Doctor_D
Why thank you, glad I could help.

Response moderated (Unhelpful)
Ben_Dover's avatar

They are great as a stimulation area in sex. Have you never had a woman lick,kiss suck or otherwise stimulate your nipples?

downtide's avatar

There isn’t really any purpose to them. It’s just that they develop before the foetus differentiates into either male or female.

Ben_Dover's avatar

@downtide Of course there is a purpose for them. Apparently you have never had yours stimulated same as Dr d.

downtide's avatar

@Ben_Dover I actually find having them stimulated to be incredibly annoying and not at all pleasant.

Ben_Dover's avatar

@downtide Tough luck for you.

DominicX's avatar

They’re fun to play with in sexual situations. :)

(Yes, I have a fetish, not going to lie…)

josie's avatar

Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny. Primitive life forms have both sexual characteristics. At a point in development, so do human beings. The presence of certain genes and hormones creates a differentiation of the existing parts. But in the embryological beginning, the genders are the same.

Dewey420's avatar

I ♥ my teets flick

kess's avatar

The Male from the beginning consisted of its own female both existing together as one.

Now for the sake of Life, they separated into two, so therefore we have the Male and the image of it as the female. both accomplishing their specific task that establish and perpetuate Life.

So we see the image of the male is seen in the female.

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