Are elephant seals the only mammals to molt?

Question

I should have been more specific, they don't just shed their hair, they shed their whole skin--are there any other MAMMALS (not birds, reptiles, etc.) that shed their whole skin AND hair?

Still, no one has answered my question correctly, although thank goodness, 1 person at least knows what I'm talking about...the elephant seals shed all their skin & hair at one time of year only. I know that we shed our skin too, I'm not stupid. However, we only lose a tiny bit at a time, flakes, not all at once.

Answer 1

lol... well..

no, other mammals molt as well.. mainly marine though. For example Southern right whales (Eubalaena australis), Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus leucas), the Ross Seal(Ommatophoca rossii), Monk Seals (Monachus schauinslandi).. umm, I'm not so sure if you want me to name all the mammals that molt so I'll leave it at that..

This is called epidermal molting, and it usually occurs in January and possibly February, and involves shedding small pieces of skin with the fur.

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Are elephant seals the only mammals to molt?

Answer 3

Oh no, you really need to do some reasearch on this. Molting is simply the process of shedding, it can be used to ref a fur coat, feathers or skin. Mamals commonly molt in the summer, getting rid of that extra insulation to keep them cool. And birds molt when getting in new feathers.

Sorry not to include a comprehensive list of all mammals that "molt" It would just be too long

Answer 4

You might be suprised by this but humans also malt. we lose old hairs on our head and grow new ones, proof? brush your hair, if its long your bound to have a loose hair or two in the brush, on top of that we also shed a lot of skin, in such small doses you would not notice it. but we have about seven layers of dead skin before the fresh skin.

when you have a bath or shower and use a loofah, your actually scrubbing a lot of dead skin off, and what you do scrub off is so small you wouldn't see it.

You'd notice this most if you took a chunk of skin off yourself, you end up with a scar. Gradually the scar gets smaller and smaller as the old skin on top is replace by new skin underneath, this is the process of the body healing itself.

pretty much, all mammals shed both skin and hair. have you seen a harp seal pup - they're covered in white fur for insulation against the cold wind and snow, not for swimming, and are adorable. they shed this as they get older for a grey waterproof coat for swimming. same applies for other seals. If you own a dog you'll notice they shed a lot of fur, and not just their winter and summer coats as the season changes either. they also shed skin but like humans its too small to see.

Answer 5

Most seals moult shedding skin and hair at the same time. Elephant seals come ashore to breed and then after the breeding season they come ashore to moult. They usually do this on sub-Antarctic islands. The process is itchy and they like to bathe in mud wallows. The smell of the mud is particularly piquant and falling in it is not recommended.

Other seals are often not as close to human habitation when they pull ashore to moult so it is not noticed. Some also do it in stages rather than all at once as elephant seals do.

Answer 6

Molt - To shed a coat (fur), feathers or skin. In the Summer, mammals molt their winter coats. Birds often molt old feathers for new ones. Insect larvae and crayfish molt their exoskeletons (outer skin or shell) for newer, larger ones.

Answer 7

These large ocean mammals use their food to get fresh water. However they also can absorb water as we do. We cannot absorb salt water because water is drawn to a more salty area. This is why when using water colors, if you put salt on the picture, it will absorb the water and color leaving the area lighter or white again. This is also why we need to have salt in our diet. When we eat salt on food we are able to put that salt into our cells which will help to draw more water into them the next time we drink. However, if we drink salt water it will be more salty outside of the cells, and therefore the cells will dry out. Large mammals like whales and seals are able to deal with this higher salt content in their water because they themselves have a high salt content. It is not a matter of salt or no salt, it is a matter of which has MORE salt. Since their bodies have more salt within the cells, they are able to absorb water from the salty sea.

Answer 8

no donkeys do too