Original photo by Edwin Butter/ Shutterstock
The animal kingdom is filled with remarkable textures, from the prehistoric armor of crocodiles to the thornlike spikes that cover the moloch (an Australian lizard also known as the “thorny devil”). Some creatures, however, are notable for their extraordinary softness.
To us humans, these creatures seem enticingly snuggly — and in some cases they are. But evolution doesn’t do things without reason, and huggability isn’t typically a trait that guarantees survival in the animal kingdom. However, dense fur can serve multiple purposes, including temperature regulation, camouflage, and even protection from animal bites. Here, we look at some of the softest animals on Earth, from the Arctic to the Andes to the frigid waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Arctic Fox
Many species of fox have soft fur, whether it be the North American red fox or the small, long-eared fennec foxes that roam the deserts of North Africa. Perhaps the most impressively soft, however, is the Arctic fox, especially when it dons its winter coat. In summer, this fox has thinner, shorter fur ranging in color from light grey to charcoal brown. But when winter arrives, it puts on a new coat: the thick, soft, white fur that keeps its body temperature at a toasty 104 degrees Fahrenheit and also allows it to blend in with its surrounding snow-covered landscapes. In winter, even an Arctic fox’s feet are completely covered with fur, making them soft from head to toe. These adaptations allow Arctic foxes to survive in some of the planet’s harshest environments.
Angora Rabbit
Angora rabbits are renowned for producing some of the world’s softest wool. One of the oldest domesticated rabbit breeds, they’re believed to have originated in Turkey in the 1700s — although it’s possible they were kept as far back as ancient Rome. Angoras have been bred for centuries for their incredibly fine, silky fur that’s significantly softer and lighter than sheep’s wool. Their fur is so soft and fluffy, they appear almost like living plush toys — with a generally sweet, docile demeanor to match. With individual fibers measuring just 14 to 16 microns in diameter, their fur — the namesake of the Angora wool it’s used to make — is one of the silkiest and softest animal coats in the world.
Ruffed Lemur
Ruffed lemurs, like all existing lemurs, are found only on the island of Madagascar and the nearby Comoro Islands. There are two species: the black-and-white ruffed lemur, with colorations not unlike a giant panda, and the red ruffed lemur. Both have extremely soft fur, with distinctive ruffs around their necks. Their overall fluffiness is only emphasized by their thick, furry tails, which average around 24 inches in length (longer than their bodies). Ruffed lemurs are very noisy creatures that make a raucous assortment of howls, barks, and growls. They also spend a lot of time grooming themselves, for which they have special adaptations including a long claw on their second toes and a set of six bottom teeth known as a “tooth comb” — all of which help keep them achieve peak fluffiness.
More Interesting Reads
Sea Otter
Sea otters have the thickest fur of any animal, with somewhere between 600,000 to 1 million hair follicles per square inch. Unlike most marine mammals, otters don’t have a blubber layer, so they depend on their dense, water-resistant fur to provide insulation, which traps air and heat next to their skin, thereby allowing them to survive in incredibly cold waters. To the human touch, otter pelts feel very smooth and soft. But if you took a close look at otter hair through a microscope, you’d see the hairs are actually covered in tiny, geometric barbs. These barbs ensure the hair mats together, creating a tight seal that keeps the fur near the otter’s body almost completely dry.
Silkie Chicken
Representing the avian world, we have the appropriately named silkie chicken. Originating in Asia, these beautiful birds are covered in wonderfully soft and silky feathers, hence their name. These fluffy furballs, which feel more like kittens or rabbits than regular chickens, owe their softness to a particular mutation. Their feathers lack functioning barbicels — the tiny hooks present on typical feather fibers that give them shape and structure. Being ultra soft isn’t their only peculiar characteristic: They also have black skin and bones, blue earlobes, and five toes on each foot (most chickens have four). Silkies have a temperament that only enhances their adorable nature; they’re generally considered friendly little things with an affectionate and easygoing nature.
Chinchilla
Chinchillas possess the densest fur of all living terrestrial mammals, helping them stay warm in their native habitat in the Andes of South America. They have more than 20,000 hairs per square centimeter, and each hair follicle contains 60 to 90 individual hairs (humans, like many mammals, typically have just one hair per follicle). This extraordinary fur density renders chinchillas not only incredibly soft but also resistant to parasites such as fleas, as they find chinchilla fur too troublesome to navigate and burrow through. Chinchillas don’t like getting wet because their dense fur can take hours to dry out. Instead, wild chinchillas take regular dust baths, rolling around in fine volcanic dust to keep themselves as clean and soft as can be.
Tony is an English writer of non-fiction and fiction living on the edge of the Amazon jungle.
top picks from the optimism network
Interesting Facts is part of Optimism, which publishes content that uplifts, informs, and inspires.
