# Are humans the only animal that goes bald? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 24, 2006, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animal-that-goes-bald/354007 "2006-04-24T17:02:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RancidYakButterTeaParty)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animal-that-goes-bald/354007/1 "2006-04-24T17:02:15Z")
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? - I note while I type this message, that almost all of our smilies are bald as well… ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animal-that-goes-bald/354007/2 "2006-04-24T17:16:02Z")
Vultures. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animal-that-goes-bald/354007/3 "2006-04-24T17:20:51Z")
Lowland Gorillas Adult salmon ---
**Author:** ![RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RancidYakButterTeaParty)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animal-that-goes-bald/354007/4 "2006-04-24T17:34:18Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Vultures. I thought they were born bald. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animal-that-goes-bald/354007/5 "2006-04-24T17:37:10Z")
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). ---
**Author:** ![RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RancidYakButterTeaParty)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animal-that-goes-bald/354007/6 "2006-04-24T17:47:41Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > Lowland Gorillas > > Adult salmon Not sure about salmon yet, but Lowland Gorillas do have hair on their head, albeit not very much. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animal-that-goes-bald/354007/7 "2006-04-24T18:23:39Z")
“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. ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animal-that-goes-bald/354007/8 "2006-04-24T20:08:34Z")
[See for yourself.](http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1009&message=7988827) I know nothing about the pic, so do not vouch for it in any way, but it is work safe. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animal-that-goes-bald/354007/9 "2006-04-24T20:09:33Z")
Dogs do, but in their case it’s called “mange”. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animal-that-goes-bald/354007/10 "2006-04-24T21:28:31Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > If there’s anything more miserable looking than a bald ferret, I don’t know what it is. How about a bald ferret in the rain? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animal-that-goes-bald/354007/11 "2006-04-24T22:27:59Z")
Mange (which afflicts not just dogs, but squirrels, etc.) is transmitted by mites and is not related to aging. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animal-that-goes-bald/354007/12 "2006-04-24T22:46:18Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Vultures. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animal-that-goes-bald/354007/13 "2006-04-25T02:55:17Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![RetroVertigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@RetroVertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RetroVertigo)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animal-that-goes-bald/354007/14 "2006-04-25T04:50:21Z")
There is a chimp at the [St. Louis Zoo](http://www.stlzoo.org/yourvisit/thingstoseeanddo/thewild/fragileforest/whoswhoinourchimpanzeefami/cinder.htm) that suffers from Alopecia. (it could be the one pictured in the link provided?) ---
**Author:** ![RetroVertigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@RetroVertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RetroVertigo)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animal-that-goes-bald/354007/15 "2006-04-25T04:52:03Z")
Sorry for the double post. I meant **Liveonaplane** ’s link not mine ---
**Author:** ![RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RancidYakButterTeaParty)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-the-only-animal-that-goes-bald/354007/16 "2006-04-25T11:25:14Z")
> [@RetroVertigo](#): > > There is a chimp at the [St. Louis Zoo](http://www.stlzoo.org/yourvisit/thingstoseeanddo/thewild/fragileforest/whoswhoinourchimpanzeefami/cinder.htm) that suffers from Alopecia. > > (it could be the one pictured in the link provided?) That’s what I’m talking about. Thanks to you and **liveonaplane** for the evidence.