This is a bit of a trick question, as technically all primates, including great apes, have hair, not fur. The distinction lies in density and texture. “Fur” is typically denser and softer. Over the last 40 million years, primates have experienced a gradual reduction in hair density, resembling a process of “going bald.” For instance, the hair on a chimpanzee is much sparser than the fur on a ring-tailed lemur.
The common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees, which split about 7.5 million years ago, had denser hair. After this split, hominins gradually evolved to have lower hair density. The sparse, human-like hair patterns seen today likely emerged within the last few hundred thousand years. However, evidence suggests that Homo erectus, around 1.5 million years ago, may have already exhibited reduced hair density similar to modern humans, though research on this topic is ongoing.
Even today, humans display a wide range of hairiness, reflecting the complex evolution of our unique hair patterns. The great apes, which include orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans, all have hair. The evolution of great ape-like hair likely occurred about 20 million years ago. Sparse human-like hair patterns began to evolve more distinctly after 3 million years ago, coinciding with significant changes in habitat and lifestyle.
For a simplified and clear overview of evolution, take the deep dive: Evolution Explained: A Crash Course in Nature’s Design.
