Surprisingly, there is no real difference between hair and skin. Although unique to mammals, they are chemically indistinguishable and are made of keratin, giving them the same chemical makeup as skin, feathers, and nails.
Mammals use their fur or fur as insulation.
The purpose of hair and fur appears to be the same, regardless of the host. Many animals could not live without its insulating qualities, and many humans appreciate a warmer head, thanks to their fur. Often the hair serves as protection against injury. A good example of this is the thick layer of fur around a lion’s neck. This mane will make it very difficult for your enemies to harm you, especially since big cats and other carnivores often attack the throat when hunting. In addition, the skin can serve to carry an odor that can vary from one species to another. While much of the hair that grows on human bodies seems unnecessary, most believe that it has slowly diminished over time, along with the need for humans.
The skin of an animal is called fur.
The main difference between hair and skin, it seems, is the use of words. People generally refer to non-human mammals as having hair, while humans say they have hair, but there are a few exceptions. When an animal has very rough or sparse fur, such as a pig or an elephant, people often call it hair. Similarly, a cat or other hairless animal is referred to as “hairless” or even “naked”.
Other than semantics, there is no real difference between hair and fur.
On the other hand, people sometimes apply the term skin. “He has a hairy chest” could also be “He has a hairy chest”. Generally, however, fur is applied to mammals other than humans, unless someone is making a deliberate attempt to apply animal characteristics to humans.
Most people are also convinced that the two are different because the skin tends to grow to a certain length. The truth is that, in all mammals, hair growth is determined by genetic makeup. Therefore, a short-haired cat does not suddenly become a long-haired cat if the hair is not cut.
A fine-haired pig.
Hair or coat length can also be genetically determined within the human range. Not everyone can grow their hair so easily: many women have tried and failed to grow their hair. Facial hair is also varied, with some men having a lot and others having very little. Genetics tend to be the main factor.
People also make the distinction between hair and fur when talking about animal skins. For the most part, animal skins are referred to as fur, as in a fur coat, fur trimmings, etc. Some exceptions to the mammalian distinction also occur here. For example, mohair is harvested from alpaca and woven into sweaters and the like, and angora is combed from the angora rabbit and is also used in soft sweaters. Both are often considered hair.