How are your furry friends? Or are they feathery? This is Locksley today, answering your question on whether guinea pigs have fur.

Fur or Hair?

As I understand it, cats have fur and dogs have hair. Rabbits have fur… guinea pigs and horses have hair.

if you stroke these animals, I think you’ll agree that there is a difference between fur and hair. Somebody said that fur is softer and thicker, and has a thick undercoat. But my coat is soft and thick, with a very thick layer underneath. Maybe I’m not a good example, as we saw in B for Breeds that I must be a funny mixture. Roscoe had thick hair, but it was definitely hair not fur. You can contrast these pictures of Roscoe and Biggles after a bath when you can see their wet hair. Maybe the Rex breed (me and Biggles) is more fur-like. But I think it’s still hair.

Feathers

As far as I know, only birds have feathers. They are not at all like fur or hair. The soft part is actually quite stiff and grows on a quill which attaches to its skin. Feathers help birds fly, but not everything that has feathers can fly (penguins and ostriches), and not everything that flies has feathers (butterflies, bees and bats — bats have fur, I think).

Hair

If you ask the computer ‘what is the difference between hair and fur’, then most of the answers say they are scientifically the same, and it’s just about word usage. But texture also comes into it.

It’s all very confusing, but most people say that guinea pigs have hair. Especially the long-haired types.

I hope you enjoyed this exploration of fur and feathers — and hair.

love

Locksley