You were an ugly duckling when you were young, and you became a white swan when you grew up. What did you go through in between?

The Spring Festival holiday is over, and handsome men and beautiful women from all over the country are returning to work.

Hello! Time to work!

Many people’s carefully cut hairstyles during the Chinese New Year have reached an awkward period. Counting on my fingers, there are still a full twenty days until the next haircut (the second day of the second lunar month)!

Who dares to cut their hair before February 2nd?

The hair is neither long nor short, which is what we often call the "awkward period" of having long hair. This is no less than Peng Yuyan suddenly becoming Song Xiaobao, and his appearance has declined significantly.

In fact, this is a temporary inharmonious or unsightly state of appearance that occurs in many creatures during the process of molting (shedding). Not only humans, but animals also face a similar "awkward period" during the molting stage.

Troubles of changing seasons

For many animals, molting is an adaptive mechanism that has evolved to cope with seasonal changes and maintain body temperature and shape. In this process, they shed old hair and grow new hair.

Image source network

For example, in order to keep warm, many mammals grow very thick hair in autumn and winter , but in spring and summer , as the temperature rises, the originally thick hair will fall off and become shorter and sparse to adapt to the higher temperature. Birds have a more complicated molting process, which is not only to maintain their own flying ability, but also to adapt to the environmental requirements of different seasons.

When animals are in the molting period, their hormone levels will change. These hormonal messages will guide the hair follicles into different growth cycles, during which old hair falls off and new hair grows.

Of course, this process is not completed instantly, but takes some time. During this process, the animal's hair may be of different lengths, mottled colors, or uneven textures , which is the so-called "awkward period" of hair loss.

Slightly sloppy hair image source u/In_Georgia

The Arctic fox living in the Arctic region is a typical example.

In winter, due to the low temperature and the surrounding environment covered with ice and snow, in order to better blend into the snowy environment, Arctic foxes have evolved white hair. This not only serves as a protective color to avoid natural enemies, but also allows them to approach prey more easily without being discovered when hunting in winter.

Image source: Chengdu Museum

With the arrival of spring, the temperature begins to rise, and the ice and snow in the Arctic region begin to melt, exposing the brown or gray ground. In order to cope with this environmental change, the Arctic fox begins to gradually shed its winter white hair and replace it with sparser and darker hair. Although the Arctic fox loses its extremely high appearance during the molting period, this adaptive change in fur color also increases the Arctic fox's chance of survival.

Arctic fox molting in the Svalbard Islands, Norway. Photo credit: Arin Underwood

Secondly, the change in fur color also affects the temperature regulation of the Arctic fox. In winter, the fluffy structure of the white fur can lock in air and form an insulating layer, helping the Arctic fox resist the cold, reduce heat loss, and maintain body temperature. In warmer seasons, the shorter and darker fur helps the Arctic fox dissipate heat and avoid overheating.

Growing up and changing

In addition to being affected by seasonal changes, many animals also shed their fur during their growth period . When young animals shed their fur for the first time, their hair growth cycle is not yet mature compared to adult animals, so they may show more obvious "awkward period" characteristics.

Everyone should be familiar with the story of the ugly duckling. In reality, baby swans cannot be said to look exactly the same as their parents. It can be said that they are not similar at all.

Take the common mute swan as an example. They start breeding in May and June every year. The newly born cygnets have sparse hair and black beaks , which are very different from the plump white feathers of their parents. However, after a few days, the cygnets will have their first molting and grow gray down .

Newly born cygnets and adult swans. Image source: Arthur Russ

A few months later, the weather will gradually turn cooler, and the little swans will molt again. This time they will grow thick feathers to overwinter. At this time, the swans enter a sub-adult state, and their body shape gradually develops towards the appearance of their parents, but their feathers are still gray. By the Spring Festival of the following year, the swans will molt again, and the gray feathers will gradually be replaced by white feathers.

It can be said that **during the entire adolescence of the swan, **"black beak and gray feathers" is the main color.

Image source: muteswansociety

Not only birds, but also cats, which have captured the hearts of many cat owners with their cute appearance, also have varying degrees of "awkward period" during the period from infancy to maturity.

From birth to the time a cat can walk, it is like a furry little ball, very cute. But after about 3 months , as the kitten grows rapidly, the hair sometimes cannot keep up, and the hair on the body surface will be short and sparse, especially when the facial hair has not grown, the kitten will look like a "cat face with thunder god mouth", and the appearance will drop sharply.

Image source: alamy

However, as the hair continues to grow, this inconsistency between the hair and the body will gradually disappear, and the cat will grow into a good-looking cat.

Of course, not all cats have an awkward period. Some non-bred cats do not have an awkward period. There are usually two situations: either they are good-looking from a young age to adulthood, or they are ugly from a young age to adulthood.

Image source: prima

In addition, if the kitten lacks the necessary nutrition during the molting period, the newly grown hair may appear dull, further lowering the appearance of the "awkward period".

In general, the "awkward period" in the animal's hair loss process is affected by many factors, such as seasonal changes, fluctuations in hormone levels, asynchrony in the hair growth cycle, and nutritional status.

This phenomenon is also quite common in nature and is part of the way animals survive and adapt to the environment. We should treat animals in the "awkward period" equally. After all, a decrease in appearance is only temporary, while companionship is lifelong.

References:

1.Foxes Wear New Coats for Spring

https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=985

2.swanlife

https://www.swanlife.com/swans-leaving-parents

Author: Fish

Winner of the Silver Award for Outstanding Science Popularization Works of China Science Writers Association

For those who love steamed fish head, spicy fish head and other fish head