Lads completely stunned after learning what 'stitch’ running along bottom of scrotum actually is

Britt Jones
2026-03-21T13:21:57.282Z
News

A viral tweet led to the reveal of the purpose of the anatomical mystery

It’s knackering to talk about knackers, and sometimes we need to get down to the nitty gritty to fully understand our bodies – balls and all.

You know that song that most of us have sung on the school bus?

“Do your balls hang low? Can you swing 'em to and fro? Can you tie 'em in a knot? Can you tie 'em in a bow? Can you swing 'em over your shoulder like a regimental soldier? Do your balls hang low?”

Well, it turns out they’d swing pretty low indeed if you lads didn’t have a ‘stitch’ running underneath your scrotum.

Actually...that’s not true. But you believed it for a second, didn’t you?

After a viral tweet had men all over leaning down between their legs to see the ‘stitch’ in question, the answer turned out to be different than expected.

The 'stitch' has been a mystery (Getty Stock Images)

Namely, that ‘it just is what it is’.

While some were quick to turn to AI for the answer, it didn’t provide them with anything great.

In fact, a response that hilariously sums up exactly why it can never truly replace humans, Grok, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence helper on X, gave the following explanation: "The stitch lines on sports balls serve key purposes.

"For baseballs, red stitching improves grip for pitchers, aids aerodynamics for pitch movement, and enhances visibility."

Of course, we're more bothered about the balls attached to our bodies.

The science behind it is that all humans start their development from the same point in the womb, but the further it progresses, the more distinct each individual becomes.

Everyone starts off as a sperm and an egg, then from there you develop based on your genetics and chromosomes.

Why do balls have that stitch line in the middle
— tubb (@tubbbbss) May 17, 2025

Male and female embryos are pretty much indistinguishable until about nine weeks into the pregnancy, at which point they start developing their own personal set of privates.

This scar on the bottom of your balls, medically known as a Scrotal Raphe, forms during the development of the genitals.

Depending on whether you have the XX chromosomes as a woman, or XY chromosomes as a man, this either grows into the labia, or the balls, which is pretty fascinating.

So while some people had different theories on why we have the 'stitch', such as it being a zipper for where men hide their feelings, or us all having the same forgotten injury where we've needed to sew them back together, it turns out that our bodies simply designed them this way.

And it's a cracking design too if I say so myself, given that they know exactly when to hang loose in the summer, or stay nice and close together in the winter when it's cold.

If this ever comes up on a pub quiz, you can thank me then.