I know some animals shed on a regular basis, but I’m talking about permanent hair loss on the head only.
If we are the only losers that have to suffer this fate, then why?
Vultures.
Lowland Gorillas
Adult salmon
I thought they were born bald.
Old housecats’ hair starts to thin with age, but I’ve never seen one go what we would call “bald”. This might just be that housecats don’t typically live long enough for the process to finish. I’ve also seen them go a bit grey (when they weren’t before, that is).
Not sure about salmon yet, but Lowland Gorillas do have hair on their head, albeit not very much.
“On the head only”? Not that I know of. But my ferret went bald all over when she got really old (8 years). If there’s anything more miserable looking than a bald ferret, I don’t know what it is.
I know nothing about the pic, so do not vouch for it in any way, but it is work safe.
Dogs do, but in their case it’s called “mange”.
How about a bald ferret in the rain?
Mange (which afflicts not just dogs, but squirrels, etc.) is transmitted by mites and is not related to aging.
Vultures don’t “go bald”, they simply don’t have feathers on their heads. And feathers aren’t hair anyway.
Chimps and some other primates go bald if they live long enough. It’s not just a human thing.
Horses can have their hair start to get a bit thin at advanced ages.
Not just the hair on their head, but at certain spots on their legs, also. But I’ve never seen it go beyond getting thin; certainly no horse looking like Telly Savalas’s head!
It is also fairly common for horses to have their hair go grey or white as they age. (Most white or grey horses aren’t born that color – it gradually changes over the first 5-7 years of their life.) But regular brown or black horses who reach their 20’s (about 80’s in human terms) often start to have parts of their hair turn grey or white.
We have an elderly mare at home (approaching 120 years in human terms) who was originally chestnut brown, but now has several places on her head & neck with as much white hair as brown.
There is a chimp at the St. Louis Zoo that suffers from Alopecia.
(it could be the one pictured in the link provided?)
Sorry for the double post.
I meant Liveonaplane’s link not mine
That’s what I’m talking about. Thanks to you and liveonaplane for the evidence.