Animals That Yield Wool: Helpful Animals That Give Wool

Animals That Yield Wool: Fabrics are made up of fibres, which are thin and long threads. Natural and synthetic fibres are divided into two categories based on their origin. Plant and animal fibres are the two types of natural fibres. Wool and silk are both animal fibres because they are extracted from animals. We dress in woollen clothing during the winter and use blankets to remain warm and shield ourselves from the cold. But have you ever considered where this wool comes from?

We have all heard the nursery rhyme “Baa Baa Black Sheep, have you any wool?” since we were kids. This rhyme gave us a rough concept about which animal gives wool that is Sheep. However, we should be aware that wool is produced not only by Sheep but also by goats, yaks, camels, and other animals. In this article, we will learn about the animals that yield wool in detail.

What is Wool?

Wool is a fibre found as delicate, soft, curly, or wavy hair forming the body coat of a sheep, goat, or other similar animals. These hairs are also known as ‘fleece’. The fleece of animals is made up of wavy hairs that are very bulky and trap air and keep the body warm in winters.

Which Animal Gives Wool?

Animal from which its fur or fleece is extracted to make wool fibres is a wool yielding animal. Most animals found in mountain regions are used to extract wool because their body is covered with fur that protects them from cold weather. As their hairs or fur trap a lot of air, the air is a poor conductor of heat. For example sheep, goats, rabbits, llamas, Alpaca, camels, bison, and yak.

Learn Everything About Fibres Here

Wool Giving Animals

Apart from sheep, there are many other animals that act as the primary source of wool production. The hairs on the skin of the sheep are made up of two types of fibres that form its fleece:

(a) The coarse and rough hair
(b) The fine and soft under-hair close to the skin.

These fine hair fibres are preferred for making wool. To obtain such delicate and fine hairs, such breeds of sheep that possess only fine under-hair are specially chosen to breed and give birth to sheep which have only soft under-hair. By ‘selective breeding’, this process of selecting parents for obtaining special characters in their offspring, such as soft under hair in sheep, is made possible. Let us learn about the various wool yielding animals:

1. Sheep – The fleece of sheep is the most common source of wool. Through ‘sheep farming’ or ‘sheep husbandry’, various varieties of domesticated sheep are raised to extract wool, such as Corriedale, Cotswold, Merino, etc.

2. Yak – Yak wool is very common in Tibet and Ladakh. They are known for their long fleece.

3. Goat – Angora goat is found in hilly regions such as Jammu and Kashmir. The wool obtained from Angora goats is called Angora wool or Mohair. Another breed of goat is the Cashmere goat; they are well known for their fine and soft under hairs. Hence, they are used for weaving shawls. These shawls are well known as ‘Pashmina shawls‘ in India.

4. Camel – The fur on the body of some breeds of camels also produce wool. The Bactrian camel produces the best-quality wool. Llama and Alpaca found in South America are also used to yield wool.

5. Rabbits – Angora rabbits are known to produce Angora wool that is soft, silky, and highly-priced hair.

Examples of Varieties of Animals that Yield Wool

Let us look at some of the animals that yield wool:

Wool From Animals: Wool Fibre to Fabric Process

Sheep and goats are the most common wool yielding animals as they are easy to rear and manage. The most primary step to produce fibres is the rearing of these wool yielding animals.

Rearing of Sheep (Sheep Farming or Sheep Husbandry)

The entire process of raising and breeding sheep to extract wool from their fleece, meat, and milk is known as Sheep Farming or Sheep Husbandry. Whenever we go to any hill station like Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Tibet, Uttarakhand, etc., we see shepherds looking after the grazing herds of sheep. Sheep graze grasses, and they also feed on pulses, jowar, etc.

For yielding good quality wool, proper rearing of sheep is very important. Selective breeding is also done to develop sheep with desired characteristics.
Once sheep are reared, and their fleece grows well, wool fibres are extracted. For extracting wool from these animals, certain steps need to be followed.

1. Shearing – The fleece of sheep or other wool yielding animals is removed along with a thin layer of skin with the help of a hair cutting machine or even manually. Shearing does not hurt the sheep, this process is just like shaving the beard. Preferably, hair is removed during summer because, in hot weather, sheep can survive without their protective covering of hair. The fleece provides woollen fibres that are further processed to produce woollen yarns.

2. Scouring – Hairs in an animal’s body contain dust and dirt. So, after the hairs are removed, they are rigorously washed and cleaned to remove any dust, dirt, or grease.

3. Sorting – After scouring, hairs of different textures, colours, and quality are sorted.

4. Cleaning of Burrs – The small, fluffy burrs often observed in our sweaters also appear on the hairs extracted from sheep, which are then removed. After this, long and continuous woollen fibres are made.

5. Dying – To give desirable colour to the fibres, they are dyed, as natural fleece obtained from animals are primarily black, white, or brown.

6. Rolling – Finally, woollen yarns are made by rolling or spinning them into yarns.

7. Knitting – After this, woollen yarns are knitted or weaved into desirable shapes and sizes to make sweaters, mufflers, socks, etc.

Summary About Animals That Yield Wool

Briefly, we can say that natural fibres are of two types: plant fibres, and animal fibres. Wool is an animal fibre extracted from the body hairs (fleece) of sheep, goats, rabbits, llamas, Alpaca, camels, bison, and yak. Based on the breeds and animals, the quality of wool varies all over the world. Most animals dwelling in hilly areas have lots of furs on their bodies that cover them and protect them from cold and chilled weather. This is because animal hairs trap a lot of air, and the air is a poor conductor of heat. This keeps their body warm.

Similarly, when we wear woollen clothes, we feel warm in cold weather. There are numerous breeds of animals from which wool is obtained: Sheep variety named Merino, Rambouillet, Debouillet, Lohi are well known for their fine quality wool. Angora goat and Cashmere goat provide us luxurious wool-like Mohair, and Pashmina respectively. Apart from sheep, and goats many other selected breeds of animals such as camel, yak, llamas, Alpaca, musk ox, rabbit, etc., are well-known sources of wool fibres. These animals are reared and taken care of to extract wool.

The first step of wool processing starts with the shearing of fleece. In this step, animal hairs are sheared or shaved. This process is mostly done during summers so that animals do not feel cold. After this, the fleece is washed and cleaned, followed by sorting according to their quality and texture. After this, the fibres are dyed with desirable colours. Finally, wool fibres are spun to make yarns that are knitted or weaved to make beautiful woollen wears, blankets, and many more.

FAQs About Animals That Yield Wool

Q.1: What are the animals that yield wool?
Ans: Animals that yield wool are sheep, goats, rabbits, llamas, Alpaca, camels, bison, and yak, etc.

Q.2: Which animal gives wool?
Ans: Different species of animals mostly found in the hilly region have bulky fur coating on their body known as fleece. Such animals possessing hairs or furs give us wool such as various varieties of sheep, Angora goats, Angora rabbits, llamas, Alpaca, camels, yak, etc.

Q.3: Which animals yield the best variety of wool?
Ans: Merino sheep is a breed of sheep that yields the best variety of wool. Two breeds of goat, i.e., the cashmere goat, gives fine, soft, and warm wool known as cashmere wool. Pashmina shawls are made from this wool only, and Angora goat gives light, a warm and durable fibre called Mohair. They are some of the most expensive varieties of wool.

Q.4: Which parts of animals act as sources of wool?
Ans: The fleece or furry skin of animals found in mountain regions is used to extract wool because their bodies are covered with fur that protects them from cold weather. As their hairs or fur trap a lot of air, and the air is a poor conductor of heat.

Q.5: Which animal wool is most expensive?
Ans: Among all luxurious wool in the market, wool extracted from ‘Vicuna’ is the most expensive of all wools, that cost from $1300 to $3,000 per yard for everything. Vicuna is one of the rarest species and sheared once in three years for wool. This is the smallest member of the camel family found in the mountainous grasslands and plains of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. It is the softest and finest of fabrics.

Q.6: Give examples of animals that yield wool.
Ans: Some examples of animal breeds that yield wool are Merino, Nali, Marwari sheep, Angora, and Cashmere goat, yak, some camels, Angora rabbit, Llamas, Alpacas, etc.