Obviously wild animals can’t get their fur trimmed every now and then so how does it stay at a relatively consistent length? Does animal fur start growing when animals are born and then just stop at one point?
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Mammal hair naturally grows in cycles. Each individual follicle will grow a hair for a certain time (and as a result length) then pause in growth until finally shedding that hair and beginning to grow another. The follicles are not all synchronized in this cycle though so you won’t see all the hair shedding at once.
For humans some hair has a relatively quick turnover such as arm hair which is why it never really gets super long. Head hair though has much longer between the shedding cycles of the individual follicles so it can get quite long if not trimmed.
For animals the length of this shedding cycle largely determines the length of their coat, and it can be varied over the year so for example during the winter the cycle can be slowed so their net length of fur increases.
Most animals shed at certain lengths. It’s only through selective breeding that we’ve removed that trait from certain species. There are lots of species of wild sheep for example that do not need to be sheared. We built the dependency on us to be sheared so that we could use them for wool.
In humans, it’s likely that we lost our tendency to shed through sexual selection and the ability to groom ourselves when desired.
Most animals shed at certain lengths. It’s only through selective breeding that we’ve removed that trait from certain species. There are lots of species of wild sheep for example that do not need to be sheared. We built the dependency on us to be sheared so that we could use them for wool.
In humans, it’s likely that we lost our tendency to shed through sexual selection and the ability to groom ourselves when desired.
It’s genetics. They stop growing or fall off. Just like how the hair on people’s body don’t keep getting longer
The same thing that stops the hair on your legs and arms from growing too long but magically consistent in length if you don’t shave it. The hair follicle dies after a certain age and the hair sheds, then a new hair grows in it’s place. Animals with very long hair like sheep and certain dog and cat breeds don’t have naturally long hair, it’s a result of hundreds if not thousands of years of selective breeding.
Mammal hair naturally grows in cycles. Each individual follicle will grow a hair for a certain time (and as a result length) then pause in growth until finally shedding that hair and beginning to grow another. The follicles are not all synchronized in this cycle though so you won’t see all the hair shedding at once.
For humans some hair has a relatively quick turnover such as arm hair which is why it never really gets super long. Head hair though has much longer between the shedding cycles of the individual follicles so it can get quite long if not trimmed.
For animals the length of this shedding cycle largely determines the length of their coat, and it can be varied over the year so for example during the winter the cycle can be slowed so their net length of fur increases.
Mammal hair naturally grows in cycles. Each individual follicle will grow a hair for a certain time (and as a result length) then pause in growth until finally shedding that hair and beginning to grow another. The follicles are not all synchronized in this cycle though so you won’t see all the hair shedding at once.
For humans some hair has a relatively quick turnover such as arm hair which is why it never really gets super long. Head hair though has much longer between the shedding cycles of the individual follicles so it can get quite long if not trimmed.
For animals the length of this shedding cycle largely determines the length of their coat, and it can be varied over the year so for example during the winter the cycle can be slowed so their net length of fur increases.
It’s genetics. They stop growing or fall off. Just like how the hair on people’s body don’t keep getting longer
It’s genetics. They stop growing or fall off. Just like how the hair on people’s body don’t keep getting longer
The same thing that stops the hair on your legs and arms from growing too long but magically consistent in length if you don’t shave it. The hair follicle dies after a certain age and the hair sheds, then a new hair grows in it’s place. Animals with very long hair like sheep and certain dog and cat breeds don’t have naturally long hair, it’s a result of hundreds if not thousands of years of selective breeding.
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