It is a common misconception that all animals have fur to keep themselves warm. A lot of people don’t realize that there are animals without fur.
Animals like the hedgehog, armadillo, sloth, hedgehog, and naked mole-rat all lack hair or fur for insulation. All of these animals have to do something different to stay warm in cold weather.
Animals with no fur use other ways in order to keep themselves warm in the wintertime.
Hedgehogs
Some species like hedgehogs will curl up into a ball when it is cold outside. The hedgehog’s spines are hollow hairs that are very sharp. The ball formation traps the heat produced by the animal inside its body, meaning that it will stay warm.
Animals without hair have to be more creative in order to keep themselves safe from predators. Some sloths will climb down their tree and sleep inside of a termite mound. The termites will eat the sloth’s fur, but they can survive because hedgehogs are covered with spines.
Sloths
Some animals without hair also have what is called a counter-current exchange system. This allows their blood to come into contact with cold water that circulates close to the surface of their skin.
This then transfers the cold blood to the heart, which is then pumped all around the body allowing for further transfer of heat. The sloth has this system in its hands and feet.
The naked mole rat
Naked mole rats are small burrowing rodents that live in parts of Eastern Africa. These animals live underground and have very few predators, but they can get too hot in their own burrows because they lack airflow The naked mole rat is similar in function to a beehive, it has an underground colony and small rooms that the animals reside in. This helps with keeping the right temperature.
Armadillos
while others like armadillos will dig down into the ground away from the wind. The naked mole-rat has an unusual way of staying warm; its body stays at 98 degrees Fahrenheit even when it is -4 degrees outside which allows it to keep its food source cool.
These animals without hair all have to be very creative in the wintertime because there isn’t enough hair for insulation. They can either curl up into a ball, climb down and sleep inside of a termite mound, or dig down and away from the wind. These animals can also use counter-current exchange systems in order to stay warm.
Sphynx cat
Some animals like the sphynx cat breed are born without fur. They usually have very little hair, if any at all on their body, but they do not lack insulation or protection against predators. This breed of cats does need to be kept indoors because they cannot go out in the cold weather.
Cetaceans
Cetaceans are warm-blooded aquatic mammals that include dolphins and whales. They also don’t have any fur, but they do not need it because the water is so much warmer than the air. The cetacean has a thick layer of fat underneath its skin called blubber which keeps them well insulated in the cold waters.
Walrus
The walrus also does not have any hair, but it is able to go out in the cold water because it has up to 10 inches of blubber under its skin. The thick layer of fat keeps the warmth inside so that these animals can survive out in very cold waters.
These aquatic mammals are all warm-blooded and they need insulation from the cold water. Some cetaceans do not have any fur and others use blubber to keep them warm enough to go out into the cold waters.
The hedgehog, armadillo, sloth, naked mole rat, and walrus all have ways that they can stay alive in very cold weather because they lack fur
Babirusa
The babirusa has tusks and no fur. This animal is native to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The tusks on a babirusa can grow up to three feet long and they curve upwards instead of down like regular pigs.
The babirusa is also known as the pig-deer because it looks very similar to both species of animals.
African Elephant
Another animal with no fur is the African elephant. The African elephant is native to the savanna and grasslands of Africa, but it has adapted as well as any other animal to its surrounding climate.
Hippopotamus
This mammal is semi-aquatic and inhabits rivers, lakes, and mangrove swamps across sub-Saharan Africa. During the wet season, they live in the water, but during the dry season, they will come on land to get their main source of nutrition. Like other animals that lack fur, these species have ways to keep themselves warm in cold weather.
What are good pets that don’t have fur?
The first thing people usually think of when considering what pet to get is the type of animal they want. But there are so many other things to consider, like how much time you have for your new friend, whether or not you live in an apartment, and if you need a pet that has no fur.
If you are after a pet that doesn’t have fur, you should consider getting a hedgehog, a sphynx cat or a Hairless Guinea Pig. If you want a dog, your options will be to get a Chinese Crested Dog, Xoloitzcuintle (Mexican Hairless Dog), the Peruvian Inca Orchid, and the American Hairless Terrier.
The important thing is finding the right pet that fits into your lifestyle perfectly.
The African pygmy hedgehog is also a great pet for people who live in an apartment and don’t have a big backyard because they are very small.
You can keep them in a fish tank or even a bucket with some hay, as long as it’s deep enough to burrow into and they have a water source
They don’t need any vaccinations and only need their quills trimmed about once a month.
Hedgehogs also don’t smell as bad as some other small pets like hamsters or rats, and just like cats they clean themselves so you won’t have to clean their cages
They also eat a lot less than regular pets because they are omnivores that can survive on fruit, veggies, mealworms and dog food just as well.
