Neckbeards across the animal kingdom

Here's a quote that appears on the back cover of Thomas Gowing's book "Philosophy of Beards":

Take two drawings of the head of a lion, one with and the other without the mane. You will see how much of the majesty of the king of the woods, as well as that of the lord of the earth, dwells in this free-flowing appendage.

Gowing's book was mainly concerned with full beards rather than neckbeards, but this quote got me thinking. The lion's mane isn't on the lion's chin. It's not on the lion's cheeks. Clearly, the lion has a neckbeard.

Lions aren't the only animals with neckbeard. The style is also found in many species of goat.

The bearded vulture has a small neckbeard. This bird is especially interesting since it's the only known animal whose diet consists almost exclusively of bone. That's pretty metal!

Finally, the pogona or bearded dragon is an interesting case. Although it doesn't have neck hair, the underside of its throat has spiny scales that expand and change colour when it feels threatened, very strongly resembling the neckbeard.

Moondyne Joe

Moondyne Joe (1826-1900) was a criminal famous for escaping numerous times from prison. Born in Cornwall, Joe migrated to Wales where he was arrested for burglary and stealing. He served time in various English prisons but was transported to Australia in 1852. Joe continued his criminal activities in Australia, but no prison seemed able to hold him; he even escaped from a bespoke "escape-proof cell" built just for him after several successful escapes. Unfortunately I can't find any high-quality photos of Moondyne Joe, but his remarkable neckbeard is still visible here.

Edward Sorin

Edward Sorin (1814-1893) was a French priest who worked as a missionary in the U.S. He founded two universities, the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas. Most photos of Sorin show him either clean-shaven or, in his older years, with a full beard. However as you can see, he had a very dapper neckbeard.

A hierarchy of beards

Here's an interesting poster I came across online recently. Notice the neckbeard on the far right of the second row. I've never heard it called a "waddlar" before. (Click on the image to see it in higher resolution.)