Why do men have nipples and what is its purpose in the male human anatomy?
86883
b/c we all start out as females.... males retain some characteristic such as the nipples.\n\nthe purpose?.... a focus point to look at when your chillin by the pool in the summer with swim trunks on
223449
Because they haven't quite finished evolving yet! Back when we were apes, every once in awhile Mama ape would go out with all of her girlfriends to the local cave tavern. Papa ape had to stay behind and feed Junior ape. Since there was no Mama ape around, and no milk man delivered any freshly squeezed milk from an anklysoaraus, then Papa ape had to resort to using his own nipples to provide Junior ape with the nourishment he needed to be a big strong hairy caveman.\n\nThe real answer is, because God created man with two nipples. End of story.
466168
because males MAY use them as stimulation receptors, they aren't ruled out by evolution\nso infact that are used, just not like females use them (think about it, if a male has nipples and uses them this way, then he would be able to spread his charateristic to more females thereby increasing the popularity and favorability of the trait)\nas for the question of why they there in the first place...\nits one of those characteristics that are kept when the baby is developing in the womb
392368
Men's nipples don't have a purpose.  When a baby is developing in the uterus, they all start out as female, hence the nipples developing.  Basically in order for a male to develop from there is a genetic fluke which sends signals to start developing male organs.  The only sign that is left that all men started as females at the most basic level of life is the nipples.\n\nFascinating, huh?
309244
because all babies start out as "females" it's later in the development that the male genitals grow, by then the nipples have already formed.
168221
Male nipples aren't exactly a genetic glitch: they are evidence of our developmental clock. In the early stages of life from conception until about 14 weeks, all human fetuses look the same, regardless of gender. At the tender age of 14 weeks post-fertilization , genetically-male fetuses begin to produce male hormones including testosterone. These hormones turn the androgynous fetus into a bouncing baby boy. \n\nHere's where the developmental clock comes in. By 14 weeks, when the hormones turn on, the nipples have already formed. So, while our male fetus goes on to become a baby boy, he keeps his nipples, reminding all of us that people, male and female, started off the same way. \n\nIn most men, the nipples really don't change after this point, but some men can develop a condition called gynecomastia. In gynecomastia, the fatty tissue around the nipple develops and eventually appears similar to a female breast. This can occur whenever the testosterone level is lowered by medications, such as those that treat prostate cancer, and by natural hormonal changes due to obesity, adolescence or aging. \n\nLuckily, most of us don't worry too much about male nipples, so men never have to worry about finding swimtrunks and a bikini top that fit.
296121
"To tell you the truth, nobody really knows." http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_093.html\n\n"Men and women are mammals (from the Latin mamma breast) a species that have breasts and feeds its young with milk. The human embryo has tissue that will evolve into breasts. Both male and female babies are born with nipples and ducts intact. It is the presence of genes that direct hormones to differentiate the breast tissue. The Y chromosome stimulates hormones such as testosterone to form male features."\nhttp://www.plasticsurgery4u.com/male_plastic_surgery/why_men_have_nipples.html
265525
Nipples are not too much attractive as the whole breast are.But its very sensitive,so it should be covered for its sensitivity.
406989
In my undergrad biology days, this was actually discussed in a developmental biology class.\n\nMen have nipples because, at one time in the womb, they were female.  As the embryo develops, it takes the influence of genes located on the Y chromosome to allow the fetus to develop primary male sexual characteristics.  Up until that point, only the X chromosome is active, and nipple formation has already taken place.\n\nThe nipples are not a purely female trait; it's the mammary tissue in the breasts that are the real indicator.
264259
The reason is a mix of physiological responses. However primarily the nipple's purpose is to provide milk to a potential infant. So, following this line of thought one can speculate that even if you were to consider it an erotic response, underneath it all it is just a physiological reaction to allow a potential infant to find its source of food. Crazy isn't it? Also here's something I found from Wikipedia.org - \n\n"Stimulation or sexual arousal can cause the nipples to become erect. Breastfeeding or exposure to cold temperatures often have this effect as well. Pregnancy and nursing tend to increase nipple size somewhat, and this increase may remain permanently thereafter. Small non-striated myocytes (muscle cells) arranged cylindrically within the nipple are responsible for this erection of the nipples."
1030685
None. Males and females are essentially the same during development until a hormonal event causes males to develop male genitalia. Because of this, we have some of the same physical characteristics and thus males have nipples.
122739
Men have penises for a few reasons.  Firstly, so they can pee.  Secondly, so they can deliver sperm to an egg to reproduce children.  And finally, so they can give and experience sexual pleasure.
989312
first, human male nipples are not useless, nor are they "vestigial" (more about "use" in a moment)\n\nto answer the latter part of your question...yes!\n\nmales actually can lactate under certain conditions (stress, medicinal/hormonal stimulation, and others); males do have, unbeknown to many, mammary glands\n\nbut male lactation is an unusual, rare event\n\nand human males would not be able to produce the quantities of milk needed to adequately nurse offspring\n\nthe primary purpose of the human male nipple is to serve as an erotic stimulus\n\nthe very first command that god gave to man and woman (adam and eve) was reproduce and fill the earth (ie, have sex and make babies)\n\n(of course the sexual relationship was always and only intended to be addressed within the marriage relationship...on the other hand, neither was it intended to be limited to some simple act of nothing more than making babies; it was also intended for pleasure according to the "song of songs"\n\nin the physically fit male, which men were originally intended to be, the nipples serve to sexually stimulate the female when they gaze at their husbands while working or relaxing; they also serve to sexually stimulate the male when his wife offers manual or oral stimulation\n\nin short, the primary function of male nipples is to serve as an erogenous zone (through visual and/or tactile stimulation)
734061
Men don't develop breast tissue, but they do have nipples.  All humans at one point in time are a woman.  It all depends if the Y chromosome is present or not.  If it is, the body sends out testosterone changing the woman to a male.  The organs "down there" change to male organs, but the nipples just stay where they are.  So in a sence, men have nipples because women have them.
430549
In the womb a fetus develops as a female. At a certain point a chemical is relased determining the sex of the child and the reproducetive organs form, however the baby has developed nipples before this point. Another argument that girls rule ok!
602450
Without Nipples the Male Chest Looks Strange.  The nipples provide a focus point for the male chest. They direct the eye to the curve of the pectoral muscle. \n\nMen and women are mammals (from the Latin mamma breast) a species that have breasts and feeds its young with milk. The human embryo has tissue that will evolve into breasts. Both male and female babies are born with nipples and ducts intact. It is the presence of genes that direct hormones to differentiate the breast tissue. The Y chromosome stimulates hormones such as testosterone to form male features.\n\nInsufficient or defective testosterone, poor tissue responsiveness, or an unbalance of other hormones like Estrogen and Prolactin can cause female like breasts even in men (Gynecomastia). At birth, the small amount of the mother's estrogen in the baby can result in small breasts that usually resolve. There can be an inbalance of hormones during male puberty that can result in temporary breast growth, which for most resolves. There are many medical problems and drugs that can cause male breast growth. \n \nThe nipple is actually the central protrusion inside of the pigmented areola. There is a thin muscle just under the skin that when stimulated, tends to flatten the puffed male nipple areola. This muscle when stimulated in a breast feeding woman, projects the nipple for the baby. Nerves that innervate the nipple / areola can produce pleasure for both men and women.
11108
We are all mammals, and a mammal is defined as an animal having mammary glands (and nipples), pentadactylic limbs, hair, and give birth to live young.\n\nMen have nipples because we have mammary glands, although these are underdeveloped in Males due to the lack (or controlled amounts) of female hormones such as osteogen in our bodies.  Males exposed to large amounts of female hormones have been known to develop breasts (enlarged mammary glands).