page_title: Animal fiber
section_title: Bison
hierarchical_section_title: Animal fiber / Wool / Bison
caption_attribution_description: English: Bison hair gloves and a wool blanket used by the Monida and Yellowstone Stage Company in the early 1900s, on display at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana.
context_page_description: Animal fibers are natural fibers that consist largely of certain proteins. Examples include silk, hair/fur and feathers. The animal fibers used most commonly both in the manufacturing world as well as by the hand spinners are wool from domestic sheep and silk. Also very popular are alpaca fiber and mohair from Angora goats. Unusual fibers such as Angora wool from rabbits and Chiengora from dogs also exist, but are rarely used for mass production.
  Not all animal fibers have the same properties, and even within a species the fiber is not consistent. Merino is a very soft, fine wool, while Cotswold is coarser, and yet both Merino and Cotswold are types of sheep. This comparison can be continued on the microscopic level, comparing the diameter and structure of the fiber. With animal fibers, and natural fibers in general, the individual fibers look different, whereas all synthetic fibers look the same. This provides an easy way to differentiate between natural and synthetic fibers under a microscope.
context_section_description: Bison fibers refer to the soft undercoat of the American Bison. The coat of the bison protects the animal during harsh winter conditions, and consists of a coarse shiny overcoat, a coarse bulky midcoast, and a short dense undercoat. The undercoat is composed of fine, hollow guard hairs (average diameter of 59 micrometers) and down (average 18.5 micrometers). Downy fibers are typically chosen for textile applications. Bison fibers are grey or red-brown and about 2.5 cm long.
caption: Bison-hair gloves and a wool blanket used by a stagecoach company
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