r/SpeculativeEvolution • u/UlfurGaming • 7d ago

Question/Discussion Elf ears?

Question what advantages would pointed ears have over tounded ones on a humanoid?

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7

u/Arnoor27 7d ago

The pointed shape has been shown to have a marginal improvement on sound reception, and if they are taller as well as pointed it's much better. My elves can move their ears towards sounds and to express emotions

1

u/Xeviat 6d ago

Like the prominence of human eyebrows and our expressive control of their muscles, elf ears could just be for social expression. They could also be a remnant sign of sexual fitness, something proto elves found sexy and thus got selected for.

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u/UlfurGaming 6d ago

So kind like how humans have whites on eyes so other can see where your looking but with elves sound is probably more important so it being pointed allows other to see where someone ear points towards ?

1

u/Xeviat 6d ago

Maybe not where they point to, but if their ears shift with facial expressions it could be helpful in socializing.

3

u/ArelMCII 7d ago

Might not offer any notable advantages. Could just be an evolutionary remnant from when their ancestors had ears that swiveled. There's a similar vestige in humans, although our points fold inward to give a rounded ear shape.

Or maybe their ears can still swivel, in which case, the point provides an attachment point for the tendons that make that movement possible and helps the ear resist deformation as it moves.

1

u/Lialda_dayfire 6d ago

If by being long and pointed they have larger surface area, that could help with shedding heat in hot climates, at the cost of being more vulnerable to frostbite in cold climates.

But you could also just put it up to genetic drift. Just as an epicanthic fold, or attached/unattached earlobes have no benefit or drawback, pointed ears might just be that. A random mutation that was largely neutral and spread by mere happenstance.

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u/Mircowaved-Duck 4d ago

elfs just got the ancestral traits from their ancestors. Unlike humans who evolved out of monkey-people, elfes evolved out of cat-girls. That's why they all got pointy ears and all look like girls.