NS: Well, it¿s a similar structure in the sense that it is a long, skinny thing that sticks out from the body and is used to help sense what¿s going on in the environment. But it¿s not homologous; it¿s independently evolved. It¿s not made of the same material, and it wasn¿t inherited from a common ancestor. It¿s a completely different structure that may serve something of the same purpose, but completely independently.

We may think about human hair¿curly versus straight versus whatever¿as being really different from what animals have, but if you think of the breadth of mammals out there you can find equivalents in many other groups for long hair versus short hair versus tightly curled hair and all that. You can actually find all of that in dogs, without even having to look to other species.

2 Comments

1. 1. bohemian46 08:54 AM 12/18/09

   on one point i have to disagree with dr. simmons. she states, "We lack hair over a lot of our bodies. " perhaps that is true for the dear doctor but not all of us, for example myself. There is only one place on my body without hair, and yes you guessed it.

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2. 2. 36IZCHEEZEITZ 04:30 PM 4/14/10

   i never knew that there isn't a difference!!!!!!

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