I don’t know… What “purpose” does your butt serve?

Sorry, that was uncalled for. It’s just tricky sometimes to discuss things in terms of their “purpose.” It becomes a very philosophical question-the teleology of freckles. We can be fairly certain about the evolutionary development of certain traits (like prehensile digits) and discern the advantages and benefits they confer, but when we talk about “purpose” we get into fairly murky territory, because it presupposes some sort of grand plan. What’s the “purpose” of poodles, for instance?

A freckle is simply a concentrated deposit of the dark pigment, melanin. Produced by skin from the ultraviolet (UV) radiation in sunlight. Especially in people with fair complexions-which means that they have less melanin in their skin-exposure to sunlight causes the melanocytes to produce more melanin in these small circular deposits. So people with lighter complexions tend to have more freckles. There are two kinds of freckles: ephelides (which are generally caused by sun exposure and fade in the winter months) and lentigines (which are darker and do not fade in the winter). Heredity is a very important factor when it comes to freckles. Studies have shown that identical twins have an amazing similarity in the actual number of freckles they each have on their bodies. (If you’re spending a long, rainy weekend with your identical twin, and you’re bored, try counting each other’s freckles.)

Now, as far as the “purpose” of a freckly butt-that’s some-thing I can probably take a stab at…