Male nipple

[sqad617]

What is, or more to the point, the function of the nipple in the male.

[gen2]

Its only function is to hang jewellery on.

During the first couple of months in the uterus, the embryo develops identicaly regardless of sex. It is during this time that the nipples develop. By 3 months, the foetus has started to produce sex hormones that control further development as either male or female. The nipples develop no further unless in adult life you take female hormones that stimulate breast development.

In a similar way, early foetal development produces a proto-penis. In females, development ceases leaving them with a clitoris. The presence of male sex hormones causes it to continue to develop into a penis.

[sqad617]

Thanks.

[Clanad]

Ummm...Although I think Iunderstand the intent of gen 2's answer, the sex of the baby is determined at conception. No one knows for sure why the maile of almost all species have nipples. It appears not to be sex-dependant feature... just one of those things that we all, male and female, have... brains, hair, eyes, etc. In fact, while the nipples begin to appear at the third to fourth week after conception, sex characteristics don't begin to appear until about the seventh week when sex hormones begin to act upon the baby...

[wildwood]

Here is a very interested article on why male mammals have nipples.

[Whickerman]

I know what the function of mine is. At least the missus found one function, and i ain't complaining.

[Ethel]

Human nipples appear in the third or fourth week of development, well before the sex characteristics. (The sex hormones start to assert themselves at seven weeks.)

[bluegecko]

Ok so gen2 was wrong about when the sex hormones are produced but the rest of what he said was right. All animals begin their development essentially with a basic female form. The female form is the template. Yes you are genetically male or female from the moment of conception, but those genes that code for either body type are not expressed until later on. So you start off by developing a basic template (including nipples) and then when the sex hormones are produced later, the body starts to differentiate. And it gets more interesting: all tetrapods (all four limbed animals so thats amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish, mammals etc) share the same basic structure as us because we all evolved from the same ancestor. So if you look at a bird or frog embryo in early development, they will look almost identical. We have the same bone structure as all these animals, except the sizes, proportions and even positions vary according to, for example, whether they have evolved to fly, walk or swim!

[bluegecko]

Thats why we have a coccyx, because its a vestigial tail bone!