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Here’s why some people have tiny extra holes above their ears

Published 19:35 20 Nov 2016 GMT

Rebecca Keane
Here’s why some people have tiny extra holes above their ears

Homelifestyle

These tiny holes that can be found on the ear are called preauricular sinuses.

While they're virtually harmless, it's still interesting to know why some of us have them and others don't. According to Metro, 1 in 100 people have these peculiar little holes where the face connects to the ear. The preauricular sinus is much more common worldwide, where in Ethiopia the anomaly is thought to bring luck and wealth to the owners of these particular types of sinus. While the tiny holes look like piercings, they're not supposed to be decorated with a stud or earring as they can, on occasion, become infected. It's not yet known exactly why these tiny ear holes appear but they're hereditary and develop when we are in the womb, with some claiming that they could be an evolutionary remnant of fish gills. So there you go.

A photo posted by Ask When (@askuswhen) on Feb 28, 2016 at 9:27pm PST

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Here's why some people have tiny extra holes above their ears