What if all animals were hairless? Can you imagine what they would look like?Animals without fur (for whatever reason) might look like aliens and be barely recognizable. Take a look at these 16 bald animals, and decide whether they still look cute or terrifying.
1. Bear
Dolores the spectacled bear was affected by sudden hair loss at a zoo in Leipzig, Germany
Experts believe this was caused by a genetic condition, though the animal does not seem to be suffering from any other afflictions.
2. Rabbit
This bunny was born in 2009, almost completely hairless and became an Internet sensation for being bald.
He fortunately grew his fur out after three months and became a normal cute bunny.
3. Hamster
Hairless Syrian hamsters are the result of genetic disorder. This kind of pups are only born to parents with the hairless gene, so they aren’t supposed to breed.
4. Chimpanzee
Like some humans and other monkeys, Chimps can also suffer from alopecia – an illness that results in hair loss from all over the body. Having the said disorder, this poor creature manages to attract many visitors.
5. Baboon
Spotted in the wild, the cause of baldness of this female baboon is unknown, but it’s thought that alopecia is the reason behind her hairlessness.
6. Dog
This Peruvian dog is one of a few breeds of dogs that are hairless. The good thing about these kind of dogs? They are safe for those who suffer allergies, perfect for sensitive people due to their lack of hair.
Meet Machu Picchu, the 4-months-old puppy who was offered as a pet to President Barack Obama. He promised his daughters a new pet for the White House.
7. Guinea Pig
Hairless guinea pig breeds are known as “skinny pigs.” Looks like a miniature Hippo to me.
Now i know why guinea pigs are called “pigs.”
8. Hedgehog
This is Betty, a cute bald hedgehog from Foxy Lodge rescue center, UK.
The cause of her baldness is unknown but she is healthy and absolutely fine other than having no hair.
9.Kangaroo
This baby kangaroo is Sabrina, who was abandoned by her mother at the Serengeti-Park in Germany. Kangaroos stay in their mother’s pouch until they are old enough (and furry enough) to come out. She will grow hair as she matures.
Sabrina always has to be carried close to a warm body or wrapped up in a blanket to keep her warm.
10. Parrot
Meet Oscar, a 35-year-old Moluccan female parrot that suffers from Beak and Feather Disease.
The condition forced her to pick out her own feathers because they irritated her. Parrots often develop this bad habit if they are bored or upset by their living conditions.
11. Chickens
This bare-skinned bird is the world’s first featherless chicken that was created by an Israeli geneticist, Avigdor Cahanerat, in the genetics lab at the Rehovot Agronomy Institute, Israel in 2002.
This naked bird was originally created by crossing a broiler (which are big, meaty chickens), with another chicken species that has a featherless neck.
12. Penguin
At an aquarium in Liaoning Province, China, a bald baby penguin was born without feathers and was rejected by his parents.
Difficulties in digesting food and absorbing nutrition results in the penguin’s baldness and weak condition. Luckily, zookeepers were able to give him proper nutrition so that he could grow his downy feathers and be introduced to his family.
13. Raccoon
Due to a parasitic infestation (mange or fungal infection) this raccoon lost all its hair.
That phenomenon is fairly common in wildlife.
14. Rats
Hairless rats are produced by breeding different combinations of genes.
Scientists use hairless rats to study compromised immune systems and kidney disease.
On the other hand, they can also be kept as pets.
15. Squirrel
Don’t be confused, it might look like a rat but it is a bald squirrel.
Bald squirrels are not that uncommon; they can lose their hair due to a mite infestation.
16. Wombat
This is Karmann – an orphaned baby wombat from Australia. She is being cared for at a wildlife shelter in Melbourne.
Wombats are supposed to stay in their mother’s pouch until they are seven months old. However, poor Karmann was rescued from the pouch of her dying mother at 3 months old, so she is hairless.
Hair loss from the head or body is technically called Alopecia. It can have many different causes, such as natural processes (seasonality or aging), biological dysfunctions (vitamin or mineral imbalance), genetic mutations, diseases or parasitic infestations.
