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What’s the difference between hair and fur?
THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT IS… not much. Hair is an umbrella term for a range of essentially similar structures – fur, wool, whiskers, bristles and lashes – growing from the skin of mammals. That said, fur is widely understood to be the particularly thick hair that covers much of the body.
Hair is a defining characteristic of mammals. Like the scales of reptiles and the feathers of birds, it’s made of a tough protein called keratin. Indeed, feathers and hair are both thought to have evolved from the scales of our reptilian ancestors. The transition may well have accompanied the development of warm-bloodedness. By trapping a layer of air against the skin, hair helps an animal maintain
