![Down Awn and guard hairs of cat 2012 11 13 9203r](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Down_Awn_and_guard_hairs_of_cat_2012_11_13_9203r.JPG)
Awn hairs are the intermediate
hair
Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals.
The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...
s in a mammal's coat. They are shorter than the
guard hair
Guard hair or overhair is the outer layer of hair of most mammals, which overlay the fur. Guard hairs are long and coarse and protect the rest of the pelage (fur) from abrasion and frequently from moisture. They are visible on the surface of the fu ...
s and longer than the
down hair
Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket ...
s. They help with
insulation
Insulation may refer to:
Thermal
* Thermal insulation, use of materials to reduce rates of heat transfer
** List of insulation materials
** Building insulation, thermal insulation added to buildings for comfort and energy efficiency
*** Insulated ...
and protect the down hairs underneath. Most of the visible coat is made of this kind of hair.
Among rabbits, each guard hair is surrounded by a number of awn hairs. The awn hairs are slightly shorter, and have a flat (rather than pointed) tip. They also are slightly wavy and have a thinner cortex. Clustered around each awn hair are two more hair types, the awn wool and underwool.
Marsupial
Marsupials are any members of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia. All extant marsupials are endemic to Australasia, Wallacea and the Americas. A distinctive characteristic common to most of these species is that the young are carried in a po ...
s have only awn hair.
Awn hair is also known as grannenhaare. Awn hairs are distally thicker in comparison to down hair and have a shift in the shape towards the top of the hair. There is another version of awn hair, known as grannenflaumhaare or down awn hair, which is thin and crimped like underfur towards the proximal end of the hair, while the thickened distal end resembles the corresponding part of a guard hair.
See also
*
Coat (animal)
Coat is the nature and quality of a mammal's fur. In the animal fancy, coat is an attribute that reflects the quality of a specimen's breeding as well as the level of the animal's care, conditioning, and management. Coat is an integral aspect o ...
for a general discussion of coats
*
Coat (dog)
The coat of the domestic dog refers to the hair that covers its body. Dogs demonstrate a wide range of coat colors, patterns, textures, and lengths.
As with other mammals, a dog's fur has many uses, including thermoregulation and protection fr ...
for details about dog coats
*
Fur
Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket t ...
*
Guard hair
Guard hair or overhair is the outer layer of hair of most mammals, which overlay the fur. Guard hairs are long and coarse and protect the rest of the pelage (fur) from abrasion and frequently from moisture. They are visible on the surface of the fu ...
*
Down hair
Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket ...
References
Animal hair
{{Vertebrate anatomy-stub