Why do mammals have different nipple counts?
For example dogs and cats have more than 2 nipples while humans have only 2.
At what point in the evolution did this occured, how and why?
Also, is it possible for humans to have more than 2 nipples, in a sense that is not a rare occasion?
In: Biology
Most mammals nipple count relates to the number of offspring per pregnancy. On average a mammal will give birth to half the number of offspring as they have nipples.
That math works out along nearly all mammals, it could be a very old trait or something that evolved a few times. Soft tissue doesn’t normally fossilize so hard to know what early mammals had.
Supernumerary nipples can occur in humans. They form along ‘milk lines’.
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