Hair - has several functions. First it keeps us warm. This is no longer as important as it was in the days of our Stone Age ancestors who were worse off for clothes and heating but a good deal hairier. There are in fact few areas of the body the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet which are not covered with fine hair.
A second function of hair is to protect delicate parts. Eyelashes for instance prevent dust entering the sensitive eye.
In the case of animals hair can act as camouflage. By matching the background an animal's coat helps it to avoid enemies. The northern hare even grows a white coat in winter as camouflage in the snow.
The hair of both animals and human beings also serves to attract mates. People wear wigs and go to hairdressers to make themselves attractive to others.
But unlike many animals we have no special sensory hairs helping us to feel our way around. A cat's whiskers are as sensitive as radio aerials. Being wider than the widest part of its body they also help it tell wheather it can get through a narrow space even when it is dark.
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