Top 5 Animals with the Densest Fur
As the winter approaches in most parts of the world, people begin to resort to thicker and
warmer clothing to protect themselves from the cold. Likewise, all the animal species have been
equipped by the nature, with the means to adjust in the environment that they live in. The
animals that are native to regions with low temperatures have often thick and dense furs that
help them against the cold winds and sometimes, also aid them to survive in cold waters.
Following are the three examples of animals with remarkable coats.
Sea Otter:
These marine mammals have the densest fur of any
other animal on the planet. Just to have an idea about
the scale, us humans have about 700 hairs per square
inch. The sea otter, however can have up-to 2.6 million
hair per inch square (and is a Guinness world record
holder for this trait). Such dense coat helps the
creature survive in the extremely cold waters of Pacific
Ocean, as they live there. Russian fur merchants in the
1700s used to called sea otter as ‘soft gold’.
Mink:
This adorable looking semi aquatic mammal comes on
the second place, with a pelt that is up-to 120 times
more hairy then an average human being. While sea
otters are protected due to their conservation status,
and relative difficulty to breed in captivity, minks are
bred and also poached in wild for their dense coats.
Chinchilla:
These elusive little mammals are active during the
night, and hence are rarely seen by humans. They are
said to have the third most dense fur in the animal
kingdom. Over the last 500 years, the chinchilla fur has
grown in demand as a luxurious item. Before the start
of 20th century, Chinchilla were led to the brink of
extinction due to poaching, however conservation and
breeding effort over the last 100 years have
contributed significantly in the restoration of their
population in wild.
To this very day, coats of these animals (legally or otherwise) are used to make products that are
considered high tier expensive luxury items and can cost thousands of dollars. Attempts are being
made to regulate the farming of these animals, while preventing their extinction.
And now, some honorable mentions.
Beavers:
One of the largest rodents on the planet, beavers are
known for the characteristics dams that they build in water
bodies. There are several properties that distinct them
from a lot of animals, with on top being their family
structure. Beavers mate and care for their offspring for life,
rather then most animals that leave their partner and little
ones after a certain time. However, another thing that
beavers are also known for is their dense pelt, which aids
them to survive in aquatic environment.
Polar Bear:
This landmark specie of the arctic is widely known and
adored for its two-layer dense white coat. Surprisingly,
the hairs of polar bear’s pelt are not actually white, but
rather transparent. Despite the skin of this marine
mammal being brown, the fur appears to be white due to
luminescence from the transparent hollow hairs.
