Fur vs. Wool

By Jaxson

Main Difference

The main difference between Fur and Wool is that the Fur is a soft, thick, hairy coat of a mammal and Wool is a natural fibre from the soft hair of sheep or other mammals

  • Fur

    Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of many animals. It is a defining characteristic of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture and the underfur acts as an insulating blanket that keeps the animal warm.The fur of mammals has many uses: protection, sensory purposes, waterproofing, and camouflage, with the primary usage 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. Hair length is negligible in thermoregulation, as some tropical mammals, such as sloths, have the same fur length as some arctic mammals but with less insulation; and, conversely, other tropical mammals with short hair have the same insulating value as arctic mammals. The denseness of fur can increase an animal’s insulation value, and arctic mammals especially have dense fur; for example, the musk ox has guard hairs measuring 30 cm (12 in) as well as a dense underfur, which forms an airtight coat, allowing them to survive in temperatures of −40 °C (−40 °F). Some desert mammals, such as camels, use dense fur to prevent solar heat from reaching their skin, allowing the animal to stay cool; a camel’s fur may reach 70 °C (158 °F) in the summer, but the skin stays at 40 °C (104 °F). Aquatic mammals, conversely, trap air in their fur to conserve heat by keeping the skin dry.

    Mammalian coats are colored for a variety of reasons, the major selective pressures including camouflage, sexual selection, communication, and physiological processes such as temperature regulation. Camouflage is a powerful influence in a large number of mammals, as it helps to conceal individuals from predators or prey. Aposematism, warning off possible predators, is the most likely explanation of the black-and-white pelage of many mammals which are able to defend themselves, such as in the foul-smelling skunk and the powerful and aggressive honey badger. In arctic and subarctic mammals such as the arctic fox (Alopex lagopus), collared lemming (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus), stoat (Mustela erminea), and snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), seasonal color change between brown in summer and white in winter is driven largely by camouflage. Differences in female and male coat color may indicate nutrition and hormone levels, important in mate selection. Some arboreal mammals, notably primates and marsupials, have shades of violet, green, or blue skin on parts of their bodies, indicating some distinct advantage in their largely arboreal habitat due to convergent evolution. The green coloration of sloths, however, is the result of a symbiotic relationship with algae. Coat color is sometimes sexually dimorphic, as in many primate species. Coat color may influence the ability to retain heat, depending on how much light is reflected. Mammals with a darker colored coat can absorb more heat from solar radiation, and stay warmer, and some smaller mammals, such as voles, have darker fur in the winter. The white, pigmentless fur of arctic mammals, such as the polar bear, may reflect more solar radiation directly onto the skin.The term pelage – first known use in English c. 1828 (French, from Middle French, from poil for “hair”, from Old French peilss, from Latin pilus) – is sometimes used to refer to an animal’s complete coat. The term fur is also used to refer to animal pelts which have been processed into leather with their hair still attached. The words fur or furry are also used, more casually, to refer to hair-like growths or formations, particularly when the subject being referred to exhibits a dense coat of fine, soft “hairs”. If layered, rather than grown as a single coat, it may consist of short down hairs, long guard hairs, and in some cases, medium awn hairs. Mammals with reduced amounts of fur are often called “naked”, as with the naked mole-rat, or “hairless”, as with hairless dogs.

    An animal with commercially valuable fur is known within the fur industry as a furbearer. The use of fur as clothing or decoration is controversial; animal welfare advocates object to the trapping and killing of wildlife, and to the confinement and killing of animals on fur farms.

  • Wool

    Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other animals, including cashmere and mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, from hide and fur clothing from bison, angora from rabbits, and other types of wool from camelids; additionally, the Highland and the Mangalica breeds of cattle and swine, respectively, possess wooly coats. Wool consists of protein together with a few percent lipids. In this regard it is chemically quite distinct from the more dominant textile, cotton, which is mainly cellulose.

Wikipedia
  • Fur (noun)

    The hairy coat of various mammal species, especially when fine, soft and thick.

  • Fur (noun)

    The hairy skin of an animal processed into clothing for humans.

  • Fur (noun)

    A pelt used to make, trim or line clothing apparel.

  • Fur (noun)

    A coating, lining resembling fur in function and/or appearance.

  • Fur (noun)

    A thick pile of fabric.

  • Fur (noun)

    The soft, downy covering on the skin of a peach.

  • Fur (noun)

    The deposit formed on the interior of boilers and other vessels by hard water.

  • Fur (noun)

    One of several patterns or diapers used as tinctures.

  • Fur (noun)

    Rabbits and hares, as opposed to partridges and pheasants (called feathers).

  • Fur (noun)

    A furry; a member of the furry subculture.

  • Fur (noun)

    Pubic hair.

  • Fur (noun)

    Sexual attractiveness.

  • Fur (verb)

    To cover with fur or a fur-like coating.

  • Fur (verb)

    To become covered with fur or a fur-like coating.

  • Fur (verb)

    To level a surface by applying furring to it.

    “fur out”

  • Fur (preposition)

    pronunciation spelling of for|from=AAVE

  • Wool (noun)

    The hair of the sheep, llama and some other ruminants.

  • Wool (noun)

    A cloth or yarn made from the wool of sheep.

  • Wool (noun)

    Anything with a texture like that of wool.

  • Wool (noun)

    A leaves of certain trees, such as firs and pines.

  • Wool (noun)

    Short, thick hair, especially when crisped or curled.

  • Wool (noun)

    yarn (including that which is made from synthetic fibers.)

Wiktionary
  • Fur (noun)

    a member of a Muslim people of the mountainous and desert regions of south-western Sudan.

  • Fur (noun)

    the language of the Fur, an isolated member of the Nilo-Saharan family, with about 500,000 speakers.

  • Fur (verb)

    coat or clog with a deposit

    “the stuff that furs up coronary arteries”

  • Fur (verb)

    covered with or made from a particular type of fur

    “the black-furred rabbit”

  • Fur (verb)

    level (floor or wall timbers) by inserting strips of wood

    “the drain could be concealed by furring out the original wall”

  • Fur (adjective)

    relating to the Fur or their language.

  • Wool (noun)

    the fine, soft curly or wavy hair forming the coat of a sheep, goat, or similar animal, especially when shorn and prepared for use in making cloth or yarn

    “Harris tweed is made from pure new wool”

  • Wool (noun)

    yarn or textile fibre made from wool

    “her blue wool suit”

    “carpets made of 80 per cent wool and 20 per cent nylon”

    “a sampler in coloured wools”

  • Wool (noun)

    the soft underfur or down of some mammals

    “beaver wool”

  • Wool (noun)

    a metal or mineral made into a mass of fine fibres

    “lead wool”

Oxford Dictionary

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