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Physical
Animal Fibers
Animal fibers are natural fibers made largely of proteins, such as wool, silk, fur and feathers.
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The idea
Animal fibers are natural fibers made largely of proteins. Examples include silk, hair and fur, including wool, and feathers. This sets them apart chemically from cotton and other plant fibers, which are made mainly of cellulose. Alpaca fiber and mohair from Angora goats are also very popular, while unusual fibers such as Angora rabbit wool and dog hair are rarely used in mass production.
Wool is the fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits and camelids such as alpacas. After it is collected, wool is sorted and cleaned, then carded or combed and made into yarn, felt, insulation and other products. Silk is a protein fiber produced mostly from the cocoons of certain insect larvae. The best-known silk comes from the mulberry silkworm, which is raised in captivity in a practice called sericulture. Bees, wasps, ants and other insects make silk too, and so do spiders.
Animal fibers vary, even within one species. Merino sheep grow very soft, fine wool, while Cotswold sheep grow coarser wool. Under a microscope, individual natural fibers look different from one another, whereas synthetic fibers all look the same, which gives an easy way to tell them apart.
Check yourself
Question 1 of 2
What are animal fibers mostly made of?
Composition
what it's made of
- Proteins — The main building material of animal fibers, unlike the cellulose in plant fibers.
- Wool — Fiber from sheep and other mammals such as goats, rabbits and camelids.
- Silk — A protein fiber spun mostly by insect larvae, best known from the mulberry silkworm.
- Specialty fibers — Alpaca fiber, mohair from Angora goats, and rarer fibers such as Angora rabbit wool.
- Feathers — Protein structures from birds, also counted as animal fibers.
Connection
how it relates
Under Natural Fibers
Change
how and why it evolves
- Past
- People began keeping sheep for wool and raising silkworms in captivity long ago, and the practice of raising silkworms became known as sericulture.
- Now
- Wool from domestic sheep and silk remain the most commonly used animal fibers, in factories and among hand spinners alike.
- Next
- Interest in natural, renewable materials may keep demand for wool and silk steady. Research into other types of silk, which differ at the molecular level, could lead to new materials.