# Do any other species get sunburn? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 14, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104 "2009-04-14T19:48:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![shallora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@shallora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shallora)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104/1 "2009-04-14T19:48:25Z")
Sitting here in agony with my latest sunburn, I got to wondering: Do any other species get **sunburn**? I’m not talking about heatstroke, nor am I talking about species that avoid the day, nor am I talking about animals that wouldn’t do well in warmer climates. I’m talking about good ol’ fashioned sunburn: The I’ve-been-out-in-the-sun-without-wearing-sunscreen-and-now-my-skin-will-be-red-and-itchy-for-the-next-several-days-somebody-please-pass-me-the-aloe-lotion! variety. What species besides humans get sunburn? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104/2 "2009-04-14T19:50:19Z")
Pigs do. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104/3 "2009-04-14T20:02:17Z")
When I was a kid and used to ride horses there was a grey horse with a very pink nose and muzzle that we would apply sunscreen to during the summer. I recall another bay horse with a pale nose that received the same thing. I seem to recall that it was a child’s sunscreen that was used. I never saw a sunburn, but I assume the use of the sunscreen was why. There is nothing special about the human skin that causes it to burn other than that it isn’t protected by hair the way most animals are. In much the same way as we don’t generally burn on our heads under our hair, animals don’t burn under their hair or fur, but exposed skin/thin hair will allow the sun through to the skin. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104/4 "2009-04-14T20:06:39Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Pigs do. That’s why they have to put mud on themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104/5 "2009-04-14T20:09:40Z")
Hairless cats and cats with white fur can get sunburned. ---
**Author:** ![Sandra\_Battye](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sandra_battye/32/552_2.png) [@Sandra\_Battye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sandra_Battye)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104/6 "2009-04-14T20:13:46Z")
I know a harlequin great dane that gets sunburned on her nose. (Well, not her black nose, but the bridge of her nose that’s covered by white fur.) So, light colored dogs with sparse, short hair get sunburned. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104/7 "2009-04-14T20:22:05Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > Hairless cats and cats with white fur can get sunburned. So can albino dogs (they also need sun goggles to avoid eye damage when outdoors). ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104/8 "2009-04-14T20:35:45Z")
I’ve known dogs that have actually got skin cancer on their stomachs, because dog’s love to lie on their backs with their stomach to the sun. Of course the dogs with hair on their stomach don’t get it much. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104/9 "2009-04-14T23:04:17Z")
Sunburn is caused by the penetration of UV rays some small depth into the skin, where it can cause damage. That damage isn’t just a quirk of a few species, it’s a property of our cellular materials - you can kill bacteria with UV, making UV lights useful for food sanitation. One of the reasons troglodytes (cave animals) turn clear and/or white is that they no longer need pigmentation to block UV. So I don’t think there’s a single species that can’t get sunburned… but humans are one of only a few species that don’t have enough protection “built in” through scales, fur, exoskeleton, shells, etc. And we minimize our own potential for built in protection by staying inside and wearing clothes so much. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104/10 "2009-04-14T23:11:08Z")
American Hairless Terriers, like the two that I have, get sunburns on the portion of their skin that isn’t dark brown or red. I do put sunscreen on them if I expect them to be outside for an extended period. But sometimes, I let them out in the early morning and forget that they’re out there. Then at 11am, I remember, and my poor little puppies are extra pink in their pink. Silly dogs will even lie on their tummies in the sun, even if they’ve got a burn going on. ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104/11 "2009-04-15T04:52:49Z")
Yup, horses do. When we showed our Morgan gelding, Mick, we had to put sunscreen on his muzzle if we were showing in an outdoor ring. Poor little guy, once was enough for him ☹ ---
**Author:** ![starwarsfreek42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@starwarsfreek42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starwarsfreek42)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104/12 "2009-04-15T06:04:15Z")
I have to put sunscreen on my dalmatian’s nose in the summer before we go on walks, else he comes home looking like Rudolph. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104/13 "2009-04-15T06:15:11Z")
A better question… if most animals have enough fur to not get sunburned, how do they get their vitamin D? ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104/14 "2009-04-15T06:23:33Z")
There was a recent news report of an albino dolphin who stayed beneath the water surface more than its podmates, presumably due to sunburn. (I realize that albinos do not really fit the OP, but since people we’re mentioning hairless breeds, I figured it was okay to mention.) ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104/15 "2009-04-15T06:32:00Z")
My first (white) rabbit liked to lie in the sun belly up. A bunny with a sunburned belly is not a happy rabbit ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104/16 "2009-04-15T06:35:06Z")
lol i edited that to ADD the apostrophe ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104/17 "2009-08-26T09:57:29Z")
> [@Alex\_Dubinsky](#): > > A better question… if most animals have enough fur to not get sunburned, how do they get their vitamin D? They lick it off their fur while they are grooming. Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104/18 "2009-08-26T11:51:04Z")
> [@Eleusis](#): > > There was a recent news report of an albino dolphin who stayed beneath the water surface more than its podmates, presumably due to sunburn. > > (I realize that albinos do not really fit the OP, but since people we’re mentioning hairless breeds, I figured it was okay to mention.) Seems to me that an albino dolphin is really within the scope of the OP … [neat looking](http://www.tmz.com/2009/03/03/albino-dolphin-tickled-pink/) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104/19 "2009-08-26T16:28:57Z")
> [@Alex\_Dubinsky](#): > > A better question… if most animals have enough fur to not get sunburned, how do they get their vitamin D? You don’t need to get sunburned to get vitamin D. The amount of sunlight received needed to trigger vitamin D formation is much lower than that needed for a sunburn. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104/20 "2009-08-26T16:42:50Z")
Elephants often throw dust or dirt on their backs, which acts as a primitive sunblock. And hippos often get burned on the portions of their backs that stick out of the river (they tend to stay submerged for most of the day, and come out to graze mostly at night). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-species-get-sunburn/493104.md?page=2)