a 1993 talking ferengi lunchbox spotted and obtained at a flea market in kentucky

@ds9shameblog

“on ferenginar, we learn about the great material continuum while we still have our first set of ears” is the most horrific thing ever said in all of ds9 because nog is telling us point blank that ferengi ears fall off at some point, meaning they either have an adult set much like teeth that come in later OR, even more horrifying, they have MULTIPLE SETS OF EARS throughout their life and now i’m gonna have nightmares

a theory: there is no shedding of ears. the ears tend to lose their rigidity as a ferengi ages, and that causes them to fold in on themselves like an accordion. the folding is an adaptation to compensate for hearing loss as they age, as more sets/ear folds produce an amplification effect of sorts.

Quark, Rom, and Nog are all in the relative age range to have 3 “sets of ears” each, with the wider margin of growth between Quark’s outer and middle set means he’s going to receive his 4th set sooner than Rom. Zek evidently has 4 sets, or 5 sets with the very inner set obscured by his aural fluff.

so in conclusion, Ferengi ears are like tree trunks, with concentric raised bands of folded cartilage that indicate their age and those are known as ‘sets.’ young ferengi are born with small ears showing only one set, and as they age and their ears grow, they progressively fold in on themselves to create more sets.