Question

Lanugo is
A. Feather at junction of rachis and quill
B. A centrum feather present on tail region
C. Coating of hair on epidermis of man
D. A coating of fine hair with which the body of mammals is covered during fetal development

Answer 1

Hint: Lanugo is the coating of fine and downy hair that covers the foetus shoulder, back, back and upper arms and it begins to shed before birth.

Complete answer:
Lanugo is the first hair to be produced by the fetal hair follicles and it usually appears on the foetus about 5 months of gestation. Lanugo is very fine, soft and unpigmented. The Lanugo is normally shed before birth.
A typical pregnancy lasts 40 weeks from the first day of the last menstrual period to the birth of the baby. It is divided into three stages and these stages are called trimesters.
> First trimester
> Second trimester
> Third trimester
Lanugo appears in the third trimester. Neurons become myelinated and have tremendous growth of the body. Lanugo protects the foetus from damaging substances found in the amniotic fluid. Lanugo functions as an anchor to hold the vernix caseosa on the skin. The vernix caseosa also helps to prepare the foetus for life outside the womb.
It provides lubrication for birth and contributes to thermoregulation and prevention of water loss and innate immunity.

So the correct answer is option D.

Note: Lanugo is also common on other animals such as seals and elephants. Vernix caseosa also known as vernix, is the waxy white substance coating on the skin of newborn human babies.