thumb|300px|Like many mammals, grizzly bears are covered in thick fur. A fur is a soft, thick growth of hair that covers the skin of almost all mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket that keeps the animal warm.
AI overview
Fur is a soft, thick layer of hair that covers the skin of nearly all mammals, made up of outer guard hairs and a dense underfur underneath. It serves two essential functions: the guard hairs repel moisture while the underfur provides insulation to keep animals warm.
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Article
11 sectionsContents
- Composition
- Down hair
- Awn hair
- Guard hair
- Mammals with reduced fur
- Natural selection
- Artificial selection
- Use in clothing
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb|300px|Like many mammals, grizzly bears are covered in thick fur. A fur is a soft, thick growth of hair that covers the skin of almost all mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket that keeps the animal warm.
The fur of mammals has many purposes: protection, sensory, waterproofing, and camouflaging, with the primary purpose being thermoregulation. The types of hair include definitive, which may be shed after reaching a certain length; vibrissae, which are sensory hairs and are most commonly whiskers; pelage, which consists of guard hairs, under-fur, and awn hair; spines, which are a type of stiff guard hair used for defense in, for example, porcupines; bristles, which are long hairs usually used in visual signals, such as the mane of a lion; velli, often called "down fur", which insulates newborn mammals; and wool, which is long, soft, and often curly.