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Do Bears Have Eyebrows?

Have you been ever browsing cute animal photos on Instagram and suddenly got hit by a question – wait, do bears have eyebrows?! 

Bears are the world’s largest carnivores. They are heavily built animals, with long snouts, small rounded ears, and unusually small eyes for such a large size. 

Would their small eyes benefit from having eyebrows? 

In this article, we will explain if bears have eyebrows, why it’s not a simple yes and no question, and show you some other animals with prominent brows.

bear head close up

What Is The Function Of Eyebrows?

Eyebrows are hairs above each eye that follow the shape of the lower margin of the brow ridges of some mammals.

In humans, eyebrows serve as a source of communication via facial expressions and also to enhance the beauty of the face.

In animals, eyebrows can also prevent sweat, water, and other particles from getting into the eyes.

They will stick over the eyes to shade them and protect the animal’s vision from the intense brightness of the sun.

They are made of keratin, a protein our hair, skin, and nails are made of. Keratin allows eyebrow hairs to turn, bend and fold easily without breaking.

So, Do Bears Have Eyebrows?

When they are born, bears do not have eyebrows. They are born hairless, with no hair on their heads. As they grow, so does their thick fur, including eyebrows. 

While some animals might have very visible eyebrows, bears do not. If you look closely into their faces, hopefully from a safe distance, you might notice small ridges and bundles of hair over their eyes. 

Notice the eyebrows on this sleeping polar bear.

eyebrows on a polar bear sleeping

The main problem with spotting bear eyebrows is their facial hair. Their heads are covered in fur, which makes it hard to distinguish eyebrows from other hair. This might lead many people to think that bears do not have eyebrows.

Hopefully, by now we have learned better.

Further reading: Do bears smell bad?

Some Other Animals That Have Eyebrows

Besides bears, many other animals have eyebrows. For example, camels living in hot and windy environments have very coarse and bushy eyebrows. They protect camel’s eyes from the strong desert sun and keep them clean and clear from dust and debris.

Some monkeys also have very noticeable eyebrows and use eyebrow movements to communicate non-vocally with other members of their tribe. 

Some birds have amazing eyebrows. Fiordland penguin living in New Zealand has eyebrows every woman dreams of. It has crests of yellow feathers above the eyes that look like unruly eyebrows.

fiordland penguin

Further reading: Bear’s closest relatives

A Few Information About Bear Fur

Bears have very thick fur; this gives their bodies a round impression. One study examining the hair structure of brown bears discovered that the longest hairs on bears are around 6 inches!

Hairs on the front legs are a lot thicker and coarser than hairs of any other body part.

Polar bears, for example, have fur that consists of two parts. The first is the shorter layer that insulates the animal from the cold, while the longer layer prevents water from reaching the short coat layer and skin. 

bear ribbon

Final Thoughts

Even though it certainly sounds silly to think of eyebrows on a bear, bears do have eyebrows. That being said, bears’ brows look different from ours. They are very short, do not stand out, and since most of the bear’s face is covered in fur, it might give an impression that they do not have any. 

Read More: Does a bear have a belly button?

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