Re: What is (if any) the difference between fur, hair, and wool?

Hi Shelagh

Basically terms such as 'wool' are all just types of hair which differ in 
their feel, density, length and so on, but are still all hairs. The whole 
hairy coat or 'pelage' of a mammal (like the term 'plumage' in birds) 
therefore usually consists of two main layers and is known as fur. The 
bottom layer (underfur) consists of wool hairs which tend to be shorter, 
more numerous, flattened and curly. The top layer is made of 'guard hairs' 
which are longer with cylindrical straight shafts and stick out through 
the woolly underfur. These are what you see in most mammals and bear most 
of the pigmentation. 

So, there are physical differences, but no real scientific difference 
between them as such as 'hair' is the catch-all term. However, there are 
of course also specialised hairs which serve particular functions such as 
vibrissae (whiskers) which are sensory.

Hope that helps

Dr David Hubble, UK