A bristle is a stiff

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 ...

feather Feathers are epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on both avian (bird) and some non-avian dinosaurs and other archosaurs. They are the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and a premier ...

(natural or artificial), either on an animal, such as a pig, a plant, or on a tool such as a

brush A brush is a common tool with bristles, wire or other filaments. It generally consists of a handle or block to which filaments are affixed in either a parallel or perpendicular orientation, depending on the way the brush is to be gripped durin ...

or broom.

Synthetic types

Synthetic materials such as nylon are also used to make bristles in items such as brooms and sweepers. Bristles are often used to make

brushes A brush is a common tool with bristles, wire or other filaments. It generally consists of a handle or block to which filaments are affixed in either a parallel or perpendicular orientation, depending on the way the brush is to be gripped durin ...

for cleaning purposes, as they are strongly abrasive; common examples include the toothbrush and toilet brush. The bristle brush and the scrub brush are common household cleaning tools, often used to remove dirt or grease from pots and pans. Bristles are also used on brushes other than for cleaning, notably paintbrushes. Bristles are distinguished as '' flagged'' (split, bushy ends) or ''unflagged;'' these are also known as ''

flocked Flocking is the process of depositing many small fiber particles (called flock) onto a surface. It can also refer to the texture produced by the process, or to any material used primarily for its flocked surface. Flocking of an article can be per ...

'' or ''unflocked'' bristles. In cleaning applications, flagged bristles are suited for dry cleaning (due to picking up dust better than unflagged), and unflagged suited for wet cleaning (due to flagged ends becoming dirty and matted when wet). In painting, flagged bristles yield more even application.''Old-House Journal,'' May 1986
p. 171
/ref>

Natural types

Bristles are found on pig breeds, instead of fur. Because the density is less than with fur, pigs are vulnerable to sunburn. One breed, the

Tamworth pig The Tamworth, also known as Sandy Back and Tam, is a breed of domestic pig originating in its namesake Tamworth, Staffordshire, United Kingdom. It is among the oldest of pig breeds, but as with many older breeds of livestock, it is not well sui ...

, is endowed with a very dense bristle structure such that sunburn damage to skin is minimized. Animals named for their bristles include

bristlebird The bristlebirds are a family of passerine birds, Dasyornithidae. There are three species in one genus, ''Dasyornis''. The family is endemic to the south-east coast and south-west corner of Australia.Del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Christie D. (edito ...

s, the bristle-thighed curlew, the

bristle-spined porcupine The bristle-spined rat (''Chaetomys subspinosus'') is an arboreal rodent from the Atlantic forest in eastern Brazil. Also known as the bristle-spined porcupine or thin-spined porcupine, it is the only member of the genus ''Chaetomys'' and the s ...

, and the

Trinity bristle snail The Trinity bristle snail (''Monadenia setosa'') is a species of medium-sized land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Monadeniidae. Description The Trinity bristle snail attains a body length of approximately 2.5 ...

. Bristles also anchor worms to the soil to help them move.

References

External links

Types of Bristle Materials Used for Brushes
{{Commons category, Bristle Animal hair

Synthetic types

Natural types

See also

References

External links