Fur
Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensive body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal pelts which have been processed into leather with the 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".
Animal fur, if layered, rather than grown as a single coat, may consist of short ground hair, long guard hair, and, in some cases, medium awn hair. Mammals with reduced amounts of fur are often called "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. The use of fur as clothing and/or decoration is considered controversial by some people: most animal rights advocates object to the trapping and killing of wildlife, and to the confinement and killing of animals on fur farms.
Fur has been a big challenge for 3D computer graphics artists due to its geometrical complexity and self-shadowing effects. The first movie which made extensive use of CGI-fur was Pixar's Monsters, Inc. from 2001.
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[edit] Nature of fur
Fur usually consists of two main layers:
- Ground hair (known also as undercoat or down hair) — the bottom layer consisting of wool hair which tend to be shorter, flat, curly, and denser than the top layer. Its principal function is thermal insulation and thus thermoregulation.
- Guard hair — the top layer consisting of longer, often coarser, 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. It protects the underfur from outside factors, such as rain, and is thus often water-repellent.
A third layer, the awn hair, may also exist. It is intermediate between the two others.
[edit] Use in clothing
In clothing, fur is leather with the hair retained for its insulating properties. Fur has long served as a source of clothing for hominoids including the Neanderthal. 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.
usual animal sources for fur clothing and fur trimmed accessories include fox, rabbit, mink, beavers, ermine, otters, sable, seals, cats, dogs, coyotes, chinchilla, and possum. The import and sale of seal products was banned in the U.S. in 1972 over conservation concerns about Canadian seals. The import and sale is still banned even though the Marine Animal Response Society estimates the harp seal population is thriving at approximately 8 million.[1] The import, export and sales of domesticated cat and dog fur was also banned in the U.S. under the Dog and Cat Protection Act of 2000.[2]
The manufacturing of fur clothing involves obtaining animal pelts where the hair is left on the animal's processed skin. In contrast, making leather involves removing the hair from the hide or pelt and using only the skin. The use of wool involves shearing the animal's fleece from the living animal, so that the wool can be regrown but sheepskin shearling is made by retaining the fleece to the leather and shearing it.[3] Shearling is used for boots, jackets and coats and is probably the most common type of skin worn.
Fur is also used to make felt. A common felt is made from beaver fur and is used in high-end cowboy hats.[4]
[edit] Controversy
Most animal rights activists are opposed to the trapping and killing of wildlife, and the confinement and killing of animals on fur farms. According to Humane Society International, over 8 million animals are trapped yearly for fur, while more than 30 million were raised in fur farms.[5]
According to the Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals (a.k.a Fur-Bearer Defenders), each year in Canada, over 700,000 animals are trapped and killed for their fur.[6] In addition to that number, over 2.5 million fur-bearing animals are killed each year on Canadian fur farms.[7]
Based on video footage, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) allege that dog and cat fur farming in China is particularly inhumane.[8].
[edit] See also
- Human activities
[edit] References
- ^ "Harp Seal", Marine Animal Response Society.
- ^ Rules and Regulations Under the Fur Products Labeling Act.
- ^ Australian Wool Corporation, Australian Wool Classing, Raw Wool Services, 1990.
- ^ Chamber's journal, Published by Orr and Smith, 1952, pg 200, Original from the University of Michigan.
- ^ Humane Society International Fur Trade.
- ^ The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals
- ^ The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals
- ^ China's Shocking Dog and Cat Fur Trade.
