Why do our nostrils point down while those of most mammals point straight out from their face?
Richard Mohr
Wombarra, New South Wales, Australia
Advertisement
As an ocean swimmer, I find this facial peculiarity the most convincing bit of evidence for the 鈥渨aterside ape鈥� hypothesis.
When I dive through a wave or dive down to look at rocks at the bottom of the sea, I am so glad my nostrils don鈥檛 point forward, which would force water up them. This orientation would have given a serious evolutionary advantage to primates living near the nutritious riches of the sea and estuaries.
A marvellous 2016 by David Attenborough, crediting Elaine Morgan鈥檚 work on the aquatic ape idea, also highlighted the value of seafood in explaining why humans developed such large brains.
David Pitcher
Auckland, New Zealand
The correspondent who posed the question has too small a sample size.
Dogs鈥� nostrils allow them to breathe out sideways (so as not to disturb a scent trail), birds鈥� nostrils are streamlined along their beak, and the nostrils of humans, Japanese macaques and proboscis monkeys all face down (all three of these species commonly swim). Elephants can point their trunks up to form a snorkel, while whales and dolphins have blowholes on top of their heads.
Having nostrils that point down would have given a serious evolutionary advantage to primates living near the sea
To answer this question 鈥� or ask a new one 鈥� email lastword@newscientist.com.
Questions should be scientific enquiries about everyday phenomena, and both questions and answers should be concise. We reserve the right to edit items for clarity and style. Please include a postal address, daytime telephone number and email address.
快猫短视频 retains total editorial control over the published content and reserves all rights to reuse question and answer material that has been submitted by readers in any medium or in any format.