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Fur-Bearing Animals
The fur industry desperately wants the public to forget that fur-bearing animals are anything more than a coat collar or trim on a handbag. However, fur-bearers are important in their own right, playing essential roles in their ecosystems. Get to know the fascinating species most commonly used by the fur trade.
Mink
The mink (Mustela vison) is a member of the weasel family, which also includes skunks, otters, and wolverines. They are perhaps best know for their dark brown fur, which turns white at the chin and runs to black at the tips of their tails. They have long, slender torsos atop short legs. Full-grown females are usually 17 to 21 inches long and weigh 1.25 to 1.75 pounds, while full-grown males are usually 21 to 24 inches in length and weigh 2 to 3.75 pounds.
For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States. Photo: Gerald & Buff Corsi, California Academy of Science Fox
Of the five species of foxes found in North America, only two are commonly seen: the red fox and the gray fox. Gray foxes are known to be native to North America, but whether the red fox was ever native is a subject of debate. It seems likely that the red fox was, probably arriving by the same land bridge used by the first humans during the last Ice Age. Many red foxes were brought to North America from Europe in the 1700s for sport hunting, and they remain popular prey for hunters and trappers.
For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States. Photo: NPS Rabbit
Few animals are as content to sit unmoving for as long as rabbits are. As prey animals, rabbits go to extremes not to advertise themselves as available to be eaten—but that isn't to say they don't let their guard down once in a while. If lucky, the patient observer may see them in the early morning or evening hours in spirited and spontaneous chases of other rabbits, or energetically hopping and leaping about—revealing this animal's playful nature. While rabbits lead lives full of concern and fear, they sometimes display a joie de vivre that we can envy.
For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States. Photo: NPS Coyote
The popular name for the coyote comes from the Aztec word coyotl, which can be loosely translated as "trickster." Taxonomy classifies the coyote (Canis latrans) as a close relative of the wolf and the domestic dog. So close, in fact, that it is still a scientific detective story as to how much admixing has occurred between the groups.
For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States. Photo: NPS Beaver
The beaver, the industrious aquatic mammal known for altering his landscape much like a human, has performed one of North America's most remarkable ecological feats: recovery from near extinction.
For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States. Photo: NPS Raccoon
With their bandit's mask and ringed tail, raccoons (Procyon lotor) are one of North America's most charismatic and recognizable species—even if they are not frequently seen due to their nocturnal habits.
For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States. Opossum
The opossum (properly, the Virginia opossum—Didelphis virginiana) is the only marsupial found north of Mexico. Marsupials are distinguished by their unique mode of reproduction: the young are born in an almost embryonic form and make their way to the pouch in their mother's abdomen, where they are nourished for what in other mammals would be most of the gestational period.
For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States. Skunk
Quick: Think of a skunk. What's the first thing that comes to mind? For many, it's the animal's unmistakable eau de parfum. Which is too bad, because skunk spray has given the wrong impression about these gentle, non-aggressive creatures.
For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States. Seal
True seals (a group that doesn't include the fur seal) belong to the family Phocidae. Seals lack ear flaps and the ability to rotate their hind flippers forward to walk on land, which sea lions can do. Instead they pull themselves forward by their fore flippers, dragging their hind flippers behind them, with an inchworm-like motion. In the water, however, they are amazingly graceful, using their hind flippers in a sculling motion to propel themselves while steering with their front flippers. Some species are deep divers—the northern elephant seal dives regularly to approximately 2500 feet and stays under routinely for 20-30 minutes per dive.
For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States. Photo: IFAW Gray Wolf
The gray wolf (Canis lupus), also called the timber wolf (along with many other local names), is one of the most widely distributed of all mammals—some say second only to humans. They have adapted to climates as different as deserts, the Arctic tundra, and forests.
For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States. Photo: Gerald & Buff Corsi, California Academy of Science Black Bear
American black bears (Ursus americanus) are usually true to their name, but you might spot one who is brown, reddish, yellowish, or even cream-colored. They are the most widely distributed and smallest of the three bears found in North America. The other two, the polar bear and the grizzly bear, are much more restricted in their distribution.
For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States. Photo: NPS Sea Otter
Sea otters are the smallest of all marine mammals. At birth, they are about 22 inches long and weigh approximately five pounds. Adult males grow to be about 58 inches long and weigh 60Ð85 pounds. Unlike other marine mammals, sea otters do not have a protective layer of blubber to shield them from cold water. To compensate, they have extremely thick fur that traps warm air between hairs and insulates the body.
For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States. Fur Seal
Sea lions and fur seals belong to the family Otariidae. They have ear flaps and can rotate their hind flippers forward, giving them a somewhat ungainly, but very agile, gait on land. These are the "circus seals"—the ones seen in circuses and aquaria—able to stand on their fore flippers and climb stairs. In the water, sea lions and fur seals use their fore flippers to propel themselves, with a wing-like flying motion, using their hind flippers to steer (the exact opposite of true seals).
For more information, visit The Humane Society of the United States. Photo: IFAW |
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| This site is operated on behalf of the Fur Free Alliance by the Humane Society of the United States. | Site by WireMedia |