Fur

For other uses, see Fur (disambiguation).

Red fox furs

The term fur refers to the body hair of non-human mammals, also known as the pelage.

An animal\'s coat may consist of short ground hair, long guard hair, and, in some cases, medium awn hair. Not all mammals have fur; animals without fur may be referred to as "naked", as in The Naked Ape, naked mole rat, and naked dogs. An animal with commercially valuable fur is known within the fur industry as a furbearer. (See fur clothing).

The acquisition and use of fur is highly controversial. Animal welfare advocates object to the trapping and killing of wildlife, and the confinement and killing of animals on fur farms. More than 40 million animals are killed worldwide each year for their fur, 30 million of them on fur farms.

Nature of fur

Fur usually consists of two main layers:

• Ground hair or underfur — the bottom layer consisting of wool hairs which tend to be shorter, flattened, curly, and denser than the top layer.
• Guard hair — the top layer consisting of longer straight shafts of hair that stick out through the underfur. This is usually the visible layer for most mammals and contains most of the pigmentation.

Fur clothing

Main article: Fur clothing

Fur has long served as a source of clothing for humans, especially in colder climates. Modern cultures continue to wear fur and fur trim as dictated by fashion trends, though its use is controversial.

Animal furs used in garments and trim may be dyed bright colors or to mimic exotic animal patterns, or shorn down to imitate the feel of a soft velvet fabric. The term "a fur" is often used to refer to a fur coat, wrap, or shawl.

Common animal sources for fur clothing and fur trimmed accessories include fox, rabbit, mink, beavers, ermine, otters, sable, seals, cats, dogs, coyotes, and chinchilla. The import and sale of seal products is currently banned in the U.S.. The import, export and sales of cat and dog fur was banned in the U.S. under the Dog and Cat Protection Act of 2000. [1]

The manufacturing of fur clothing involves obtaining animal pelts where the hair is left on the animal\'s processed skin. In contrast, leather made from sheepskin or other animal hides involves removing the fur from the skin and using only the skin. The use of wool involves shearing the animal\'s hair from the living animal, so that the wool can be regrown. Fake fur or "faux fur" designates any synthetic material that mimics the appearance and feel of real fur, without the use of animal products.

The chemical treatment of fur to increase its felting quality is known as carroting, as the process tends to turn the tips of the fur a yellowish-red "carrot like" color.

Controversy

Main article: Fur farming

Further information: Fur trade

Animal welfare advocates object to the trapping and killing of wildlife, and the confinement and killing of animals on fur farms. More than 40 million animals are killed worldwide each year for their fur.

Fur fetishes

The soft, warm texture of fur appeals to many people; for some, the attraction becomes a fur fetishism, a fetishistic attraction to people wearing fur, or in certain cases, to the fur garments themselves.

See also

• Furry

Notes

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia