It’s easy to forget that humans are primates, but indeed we are. Taxonomic classification puts humans in the order Primates (apes, monkeys, and lemurs) and in the family Hominidae (great apes), which, in addition to humans, includes chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans. Humans are different from other primates in several ways, our facility with spoken and written language being one of the most obvious.
But another obvious difference is that somewhere along the evolutionary path, humans lost most of their body hair. When you’re bundling up in wool sweaters and down comforters to get through the winter, you may wonder why you can’t just rely on a snug, natural coat like your hominid cousins — and most other mammals.
When We Shed Our Fur
A good coat of fur can certainly be useful. It provides insulation and also protects the skin from the sun. It offers some protection from wounds and insect bites and a bit of a cushion when you fall. A full coat of hair makes an animal look bigger, which might help attract a mate or present a fierce appearance to an enemy. Hair can even stand on end, making an animal seem even larger, signaling potential enemies that they’d be wiser to back off.
