Why did the European race evolve so many different eye colors and hair colors?

Why did this happen, Europeans can have Blue, Green, Brown, Gray, Hazel eyes etc. and have Black, Brown, Red, Blond hair etc. What was the reason for. These due show up in other races from time to time but its extremly rare, but they are so much more common in the European race, why is that?Why did the European race evolve so many different eye colors and hair colors?
Albinism and partial albinism occurs in non European populations.





There seems to be a recessive gene for red and blonde hair in Melanesia which comibned with mineral deficiences and genetic input from visiting Celts (oh those naughty sailors and missionaries!) makes a red haired Melanesian more likely than a red haired African.





For some (cultural) reason prehistoric Europeans tolerated the mutations that lead to blue eyes and pale hair more than other groups.





I suspect the first blue eyes blondes were born into an elite aristo clan who refused to have them treated as freaks and had the priest declare their special coloration was a sign of favor form the gods.





On the other hand in Ancient Egypt there was a gene for red hair that disappeared from the population because it was regarded as the mark of Seth!





I would say it is due to a combination of both genetic and cultural factors.





I suspect the association of red hair with evil spirits and demons in Asia is due to a relict population of red haired home erectus whose last survivors were the source of yeti legends.Why did the European race evolve so many different eye colors and hair colors?
First of all, there is no such thing as race. The differences between two members of the same racialized group can be greater than the differences between two members of two different groups. There is definitely no such thing as a ';European Race';/





To answer your question, lighter coloured eyes are a result of less keratin in the skin. This allows the body to produce more Vitamin D in areas where there are fewer hours of sunlight. This is why Northern Europeans are generally very fair (blue eyes, blond hair, and light coloured skins) while Southern Europeans generally have olive skin, darker coloured eyes, and dark hair. The reason there is so much variation in Europe is because across the European continent there is a lot of climatic variation, which produces a greater variation of skin colour and hair colour. In Africa, where the climate is very hot and sunny everywhere, there is no advantage to having light skin and hair, since you would be skin burned all the time.





Nowadays, different hair and eye colours are more prevalent than random genetic variation, because the mixing of genes because of trade and colonialism in the last 600 years. I read recently about a Jamaican of African origin, who had orange hair, because she had an ancestor of Scottish origin.





The most important thing to remember is that ';races'; we often take for granted, are really non existent.
It's a matter of dominant/recessive genes in isolated populations...people in other areas of the world exhibit variations regarding hair and eye color as well...Pakistan and Mongolia for instance. Statues or depictions/paintings of ancient Egyptians also show variations of skin and eye color.





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Lighter colors are only possible when there isn't too much melanin. Europeans don't need as much because they are at a higher latitude and the same thing is true about the eyes.
Well all I can say to answer this is that it depends on the ancestors and their origins.

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