Animal Coverings

Core Idea

Animals have different body coverings that protect them and help them survive. Mammals have fur or hair. Birds have feathers. Fish and reptiles have scales. Amphibians have smooth, wet skin. Each type of covering helps the animal in its own way.

How It's Best Learned

Touch or look at samples of different coverings — a piece of wool (fur), a feather, a picture of fish scales. Sort animal pictures by their covering type. Talk about why each covering helps the animal.

Common Misconceptions

• Children may think fur and hair are different things (they are the same material).
• Some children think all scales are the same (fish scales and reptile scales are quite different).
• Children may think feathers are only for flying (they also keep birds warm and dry).

Explainer

Every animal has some kind of body covering, like a coat it wears all the time. This covering protects the animal from weather, injuries, and other dangers. Different animal groups have different types of coverings, and each one is special.

Fur (or hair) covers mammals. Your own hair is the same kind of covering a dog's fur is — just shorter and thinner. Fur keeps mammals warm by trapping a layer of air against the skin. Animals in cold places, like polar bears and arctic foxes, have very thick fur. Animals in hot places, like elephants, have very little hair because they do not need as much warmth.

Feathers are the special covering of birds. Feathers are amazing — they keep birds warm, help them fly, and keep rain off their skin. A duck's feathers are oily so water rolls right off. An owl's feathers are soft and fluffy for silent flying at night. Feathers are the one body covering that belongs only to birds.

Scales cover fish and reptiles, but the two types are different. Fish scales are thin, overlapping, and often shiny — they help the fish glide through water. Reptile scales are thicker and drier — they protect lizards and snakes from drying out in the sun. Neither type is slimy (though fish feel slimy because of a coating of slippery mucus on top of their scales).

Amphibians like frogs and salamanders have something different: smooth, moist skin with no fur, feathers, or scales. Their skin must stay wet, which is why you find frogs near ponds and streams. Even insects have a covering — a hard outer shell called an exoskeleton that protects their soft insides like a suit of armor.