My man has sensitive ears, and he likes me to nibble on it all the time. Why are his ears so sensitive? How much pleasure does this give him? Every time I ask these questions, he snickers. Any info would be helpful. Thanks!
Strictly from an anatomical viewpoint, the ear (or pinna as it is known “scientifically”) has numerous touch sensors of many types and more brain area devoted to them than the average surface areas of the body. Examples of sensors are light touch, crawling across the surface, pain, temperature. While we humans may not need them as much as we used to, most mammals show the same skewed distribution in their ears. Ears are pretty important, and we need to protect them.
So that little tickle may in fact be you moving across his ear rather than a crawling insect…in both cases he tunes in on it! In the case of an insect, he bats it away. Notice that he has a different reaction from your tickle…
As an unrelated fact, the group of aquatic animals with fin or wing shaped appendages include seals, sea lions, and walruses. (Pinna means fin or wing in Latin, while ped means foot) Cool…
I believe the smile he gives says he is covering for some fantasy that he is entertaining. Rather, you are entertaining his fantasy. I can imagine all sorts of things he may be thinking of. Also, I’m wondering what his hands are doing during these events.
In any case it seems harmless enough to you. Maybe swab his ear with alcohol first to kill various germs. After all, you really don’t know where his ear has been.