Why have homo sapiens evolved as the only fur-less primate species?

Question

I have read Desmond Morris, but he has not satisfactorily answered this question.

Answer 1

Desmond Morris' "Naked Ape" really doesn't describes what most anthopologists think how humans evolved.

The most compelling theory of hairlessness comes from the late Ashley Montagu. In "Growing Young", he explains that people became Homo Sapiens because natural selection favored those genes that kept people's youthful traits -- such as curiosity, wanting to play most of our lives, large brain to body ratio, AND lower hair density. It is not that hairy people were less fit. It was just that there is a gene that gradually transforms a baby ape into an adult ape. Natural selection favored that the expression of that gene become delayed or slowed considerably. Montagu refers this as "Neoteny" -- the tendency of retaining youthful traits.

I can also explain the evolution of less skin pigmentation. 40,000 years ago early man migrated out of Africa. It was pretty cold in most parts of non-coastal Europe and Asia. People wore clothing to keep warm. This reduced the amount of exposed skin. You needed less melanin blocking out the UV light so that the skin of you face alone could produce enough Vitamin-A. But as Montagu points out, Blacks and Asians actually have lower hair density than Whites. So Whites should be careful about putting themselves as further evolved. (As also read Montagu's "Fallacy of Race" which says the mere concept of race is a farse.)

I love my old professor Montagu. May he rest in peace.

Answer 2

Just an educated guess, because somewhere in the past, our ancestors began to change their environment to suit them (shelter, fire for heat, tanned animal skins for insulation, migration with the seasons, etc) and the need for hair to regulate body temperature became unnecessary.

Answer 3

If your naked and really cold,you will see hair all over your body.No matter what race,cause there is only 1 species of human.Or look at a new born,covered in peach fuzz.

Answer 4

Soooo... what makes you think we have "evolved"? How can any intelligent person get stuck on one persons "theory", without due process? The most intelligent people I have come to respect are those who have done their own extensive research on both sides of any argument! You sound brainwashed by one side?

Answer 5

some believe it is because of the sins of Adam and Eve, yet there is the theory of evolution, but, really, I don't think we are hairless. As sickening as it may seem to some people, if humans were to quit shaving, waxing, quit cutting our hair, and just went"natural", we'd all look like cousin It!

Answer 6

Humans are very different than other apes because humans are more, more, more neotenic, than other apes. Desmond Morris tells about human neoteny in his books.

Answer 7

Besides people who shave it all off, people have hair all over their bodies.

Answer 8

fur-less? you've obviously never met my brother and his mountain of back hair!

Answer 9

Because we wear clothes and produce fire (heaters today).