|
Much like humans, some animals suffer from total body hair loss, also known as alopecia. The condition can have many different causes, such as natural processes, biological dysfunctions (vitamin or mineral imbalance), genetic mutations or diseases. The animals don't suffer too much from the hair loss and those that you are about to see here are all being taken care of and are just as healthy and happy as other animals of their kind. What's really amazing to see is how different these animals look, some of them bizarre and some just plain unrecognizable! Have a look for yourself, I thought it was both fascinating unbelievable. Hedgehog: |
 |
|
This is Betty, a cute little bald hedgehog from the Foxy Lodge rescue center in the UK. She is a healthy and absolutely normal hedgehog apart from her baldness, the cause of which is unknown. |
 |
|
Raccoon: Raccoons sometimes develop a parasitic infestation that cause their hair to fall out, it is quite a common phenomenon in wildlife and as you can see other raccoons don’t really mind it. |
 |
|
Squirrel: Bald squirrels are actually quite common; their hair loss is usually related to an illness caused by mites and since they are so small and fast it's hard to really notice them. |
 |
 |
|
Guinea Pig: What you see here might look a bit like a baby hippopotamus, but it's just a hairless breed of guinea pig called The Skinny Pig. The pink skin you can see might be the reason they are called guinea "pigs". |
 |
 |
|
Penguin: Sadly, despite the fact that they are mostly completely healthy, some animals that are born bold are rejected by their parents, just like this little baby penguin. Thanks to his keepers in the Liaoning Province Aquarium in China, this little guy managed to grow a feathery coat and was successfully re-introduced to its family |
 |
 |
|
Rat: Hairless rats are produced by breeding different genetic combinations, and provide researchers with valuable data on compromised immune systems and genetic diseases. |
 |
 |
|
Chimpanzee: Like other monkeys, apes and humans, chimpanzees can also suffer from alopecia. These particular one is being well taken cared off in a zoo where he attracts many visitors to see his unique appearance. |
 |
|
Dog: This is a Peruvian hairless dog named Machu Picchu and he is a 4-months-old pup. He was offered as a pet to U.S. President Barack Obama. He was suggested because one of the President's daughters is allergic to most dog breeds. Peruvian hairless dogs are said to be perfect for sensitive people due to their lack of hair, but in the end the dog was not adopted by the first family. |
 |
|
Wombat: Meet Karmann, an orphaned baby wombat from Australia. While wombats are supposed to stay in their mother’s pouch until they are seven months old, poor Karmann was rescued from the pouch of her dying mother when she was just 3 months old. She is being cared for at a wildlife shelter in Melbourne and there are still hopes she will one day grow her hair. |
 |
|
Kangaroo: This little girl is Sabrina, she was abandoned by her mother at the Serengeti-Park in Germany. Much like wombats, kangaroos don’t fully develop their fur until they emerge from the mother’s pouch. To keep her warm Sabrina always had to be carried close to a warm body or wrapped up in a blanket. |
 |
 |
|
Syrian Hamster: Hairless Syrian hamsters lack fur due to a genetic disorder, hairless pups are only born to parents with the hairless gene. They aren’t really supposed to breed as they don’t survive well in the wild but they are being bred and kept alive by humans. |
 |
|
Rabbit: Born in 2009, this cute bunny instantly became an Internet sensation for being bald and looking like the rabbit version of a wise old man. After about three months he grew his first coat and turned out to be as normal as his other fluffy and adorable siblings. |
 |
 |
|
Bear: Another victim of sudden hair loss at a zoo in Leipzig, Germany is Dolores the bear. Some experts think it was caused by a genetic defect, though Dolores doesn't seem seem to be suffering from any other afflictions, nor do any of the other animals. |
 |
 |
