There exist animals with a lot of hair and some with hairs so beautiful that can make you jealous. But why the many hairs?
The hairs of some of these animals are so much that it covers their entire face and eyes, but there is a reason most of them have such many hairs. The major function of hair in animals is to insulate the body against cold and conserve body heat while specialized hairs like whiskers serve the purpose of a sensory organ.
The different colors in the hairs of different animals serve the purpose of sexual recognition and camouflage. For example, the Angora rabbit cannot survive the freezing weather conditions without their many hairs. Let’s take a look at the animals with a lot of hair.
Animals With A Lot Of Hair
Valais Blacknose Sheep
This breed of sheep originates from Switzerland in the Valais region. It is raised basically for two purposes: for meat and wool. They are considered to be one of the beautiful hair animals because of how thick their wool is. The whole body of this sheep is covered with a lot of hair.
Gypsy Horses
This horse breed is from Great Britain found specifically in the Islands, also seen in Ireland. It is a small but solidly built horse used majorly for transportation. The hair colors on this horse are very unique with white and black very common. Others have brown and shades of brown as their colors. One feature that makes them stand out is the hairs on their legs which is commonly called leg feathering.
Norwegian Forest Cats
These cats are big, strong, have long legs and a very bushy tail. They adapt very well to cold climate, hence, the many hairs on their body. Their long glossy coat repels water and can be seen in different colors.
Komondor Dogs
Komondor dogs are also known as the Hungarian sheep-dog are breed to function as guard dogs. They are highly intelligent and very protective, this makes them a better choice of dog to guard livestock and other properties. They are also referred to as ‘mop dogs’ because of how hairy they are.
Their dense coat looks like white cords hence the name ‘mop dogs’. Their cord-like, the thick coat makes them survive extreme weather conditions. They are also one of the largest dogs and can grow to a height of 30 inches.
Highland Cattle
These are cows with long horns and hair like a shaggy coat with different colors. Thanks to their double coat hair, they cope very well with low temperatures. They are one of the oldest cow breeds in existence. During winter their long horns are used to dig through the snow to find vegetation. They also use their horns to defend themselves against predators like lions and bears.
Lhasa Apso
This is one hairy looking dog. They are so hairy that their hairs their entire face and eyes. They originated from Tibet and were mostly bred by the monks who live there to alert them to intruders who enter the monks. They can grow up to 10 inches long and weigh about 6 kilograms. They are very obedient and socialize very well. Their hair needs to be combed frequently.
Angora Rabbit
This rabbit is bred majorly for its coat which is later sheared to make Angora wool. They are one of the oldest domestic rabbits. Their hairy coat helps them to survive extreme weather conditions.
Samoyed
One special feature of this breed of dog is its double-layer coats. They are bred by the Samoyedic people of Siberia to help them with herding, hence, their name ‘Samoyed’. They undergo a process called ‘blowing coat’ where they shed their undercoat once or twice a year.
Afghan Hound
Afghan hound originates from Afghanistan and is considered one of the oldest dog breeds. They have a very fine, long coat. The hairs on their face are shorter, while the hairs on their body are very plenty.
Otters
Otters are the hairiest of all animals. They are semi-aquatic animals with two layers of fur; an insulating layer and waterproof guard hairs. The Guinness World Record recognizes them as the furriest animal in the world having 80,000 fur hairs per square centimeter. Sea otters are even hairier with about 100,000 to 140,000 fur hairs per square centimeter.
Mountain Goats
These goats are commonly seen on cliffs and ice. They have white double coats which help them to survive the cold on mountains, they can withstand temperatures as low as -46°C. The goat’s feet are very suited for climbing steep and rocky slopes and their powerful shoulder and neck muscles help propel them up steep slopes.
Shih Tzu
These are short, little dogs with a long, soft double coat. They have hairs all over their body, their ears are covered with long hairs, and their bodies are covered with long hairs that it touches the floor as they walk. One wonderful feature of their hair is that it grows very fast.
Puli Dog
This dog breed has a long corded coat looking like dreadlocks. This dreadlock attribute makes this dog similar to the Hungarian komondor. They are very hardworking and good herders.
Chow Chow
This dog breed originates from China. It is a well-built dog, with a very dense double coat. This dog’s hairy coat is very thick around the neck region making it look like the mane of a lion.
Arctic Fox
One of the distinctive features of the arctic fox is its fluffy hairy coat. The artic fox hairy coat grows very long during really cold seasons which helps the fox stay warm and insulated from the cold.
The distinctive differences in this hairy anima ook very special and adorable. You can get jealous by just looking at those dreadlocks of the komondor or the very fine, long coat of the Afghan dog. As beautiful as they are, these features serve important purposes for these animals, so believe me when I tell you, you don’t need it.
