Message Number: YG2050 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Brett Middleton
Date: 2001-04-02 15:38:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Fur types

RRC said to Sukie:
> Brush your ferret over its ENTIRE body and pull the hair from the
> brush. [snip] Make micrographs of the various fur types and print for
> reference.

Sukie, if you get around to this, I'd like copies of those! (Since I'm
currently ferretless, I'm short on experimental units, or I'd have a go
myself.) While I can see that brushing the entire body would ensure
that you get all possible types in your sample, it seems to me that it
would also be interesting to collect samples at specific sites -- leg,
barrel, belly, etc. -- to see how the distribution differs.

But, maybe we don't need to go to the trouble? One of the FURO books
mentions that they had collected a couple of hundred hair samples, and
also contained a crude drawing of three types. What happened to all
the FURO data when they folded? Perhaps it's still available
somewhere?

Bob, do you know of any references covering follicular development
and/or arrangement in ferrets? I think I've tracked down a couple of
mink references that should be helpful, but you'd think the fur
researchers would have done at least a little ferret work.

Brett

*SLMW 1.0* First law of lab work: Hot glass looks like cold glass!