Animal Fibre: Types, Characteristics and Uses

Animal fibres are natural fibres made up primarily of proteins. Wool and silk are the most commonly used animal fibres in the manufacturing world as well as by hand spinners. Animal fibres are typically used in the production of textile fibres. These fibres are often made from animal hair, fur, skin, or specific secretions Animal fibres are generally woven or knitted (or sometimes felted) after they have been removed to create attractive animal textiles. Historically, animal fibres were used to make soft and warm jackets, wraps, blazers, shawls, ponchos, coats, and other types of apparel and accessories.

Keyterms: Protein, Natural fibre, Cotton, Wool, yarn, Silk, Flax, Jute, fabric, Cotton plant, garments

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Animal Fibre

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• Threads derived from plants and animals are known as natural fibres. The fibres come from plants that are used to manufacture fabric (or cloth). Cotton plants, for example, produce cotton fibres, which are used to make cotton textiles (or cotton cloth). 
• Plant fibres include cotton, flax, and jute. Since the fibres are derived from animals, they are referred to as animal fibres. The following are the two most significant animal fibres:

1. Wool
2.  Silk

• Wool is derived from animals such as sheep, goats, and yaks, among others, whereas silk is derived from silkworms. Wool and silk are hence animal fibres. 
• Wool is used to make sweaters, shawls, and other woollen fabric. Saris and other garments are made from silk.

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Types of Animal Fibre

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Let’s Discuss the types of animal fibre:

1) WOOL

Wool is an animal fibre produced from several animal furs of the Caprinae family. Wool is commonly associated with sheep, although it may also be obtained from other species such as goats, rabbits, and alpacas. 

•  Different types of wool from distinct animals have different characteristics. The primary distinction between sheep's wool and hair is that sheep's wool is made up of scales that overlap in the same way that shingles on a roof do. 
•  Many wools are also known to have more than 20 different types of bends in only one inch. The diameter of a single strand of wool, on the other hand, ranges from 17 to 35 micrometres.

2) SILK

Silk is the strongest natural fabric and is an animal fibre derived from the excretion of silkworms. 

• Silkworms come in a variety of colours and sizes.
• Silk worms that consume mulberry leaves produce the softest silk strands. Wild silkworms fed other leaves, such as oak tree leaves, produce rougher silk strands.
• The most well-known type of silk is that which is derived from cocoons grown in captivity by silkworm larvae of the Bombyx mori species. 
• The quality of silk fibres is also determined by the health of the silkworm larvae, which is determined by the food and living circumstances supplied to them.

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Types of Wools

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Let’s discuss the types of wool in details-

• Alpaca fibre: This fibre is made from the wool of alpacas, a kind of camel indigenous to South America (Peru). It's made of wool, which is nice and toasty. It may be used with wool and silk to make incredibly soft fabrics. The softness and warmth of the fabric created from these fibres are highly regarded.
• Angora Fabric: Angora refers to the silky white hair of the Angora Rabbit. It is utilised in the production of high-quality knitwear. China is the world's largest producer of this fibre.
• Cashmere Fabric: The hair of the Indian Cashmere goat is used to make this fibre. It's found in India, Tibet, Iran, Iraq, China, Persia, Turkestan, and Mongolia, among other places. The basic hue of this soft and silky fibre might be white, black, brown, or grey, but it is then dyed into many attractive colours before being woven and knitted into the softest and most magnificent cloth. It is very fragile and costly on its own, therefore it is mixed with wool.
• Llama wool: Llama wool is derived from the llama, a domesticated South American camel. It's similar to alpaca wool. Llama fibres are lightweight, robust, and resilient, as well as lanolin-free and hypoallergenic. However, they are not as fine as alpaca fibres. The shades range from white to brown to black.
• Mohair: This is produced from the North African Angora goat's hair. Mohair is extremely soft and light. South Africa is the world's leading producer of Mohair fibres. It is a popular fabric for dressmaking, hatmaking, and upholstery because it is smooth, shiny, and wiry.

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Types of Silk

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• Wild Silk- This silk is produced by wild silkworms that feed on oak leaves rather than mulberry leaves (oak moth). This is coarser and heavier in character. Tussah/Tusser is another name for this silk. Tussar silk worms come in a variety of varieties.
• Mulberry Silk- This silk is produced from fibres provided by tamed silkworms known as Bombyx mori, who feed solely on Mulberry leaves. Mulberry silk is a generic category rather than a specific type of silk, and it accounts for around 80% of global silk output.
• Spider Silk- The spider's silk fibres are reported to be as strong as, if not stronger than, steel and extremely elastic. The commercial and industrial applications of spider silk have yet to be thoroughly explored.
• Pure Silk- This is silk fabric manufactured from silk fibres that have been cleansed of gum, but no additives have been added to compensate for the weight lost in boiling and cleaning the fibres. It is the purest and finest silk available.
• Raw Silk- Silk fibre is covered with a stiff protective coating called silk gum or sericin when it emerges from the cocoon. Raw silk is a fabric created from this material that has not been processed to remove the gum.

Read More: Extraction of Wool

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Characteristics of Wool and Silk

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Let’s Discuss the properties of wool & silk below:

1. Wool

Wool has following characteristics:

• Smoothness: A wool fibre has a smooth feel to it.
• Tensile strength: It has a very high tensile strength, which means that it can withstand a large force without breaking. When dragged in water, it may expand in length by up to 70%. The fibre does not return to its previous length after being stretched in hot water for roughly half an hour.
• Water absorption: Wool absorbs more water than any other fibre. It can absorb up to one-third of its own body weight in water.

2. Silk

 Silk has following properties:

• Breathability- Since silk is a lightweight, breathable fabric, it lowers the danger of overheating while you go about your day.
• Elasticity-Silk garments retain their form nicely if properly cared for. Silk is flexible and has considerable elasticity, which allows it to reshape itself after stretching – to some extent. Don't stretch silk too much or you'll go too far.
• Drying time-Silk dries quickly, making it ideal for handling laundry or going about your daily activities.

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Uses of Wool and Silk

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The uses of wool & silk are:

1. Wool

• Wool is used to make fabrics, shawls, blankets, carpets, felt (compressed wool), and upholstery.
• Wool felt is used to cover piano hammers. It's also used to absorb noise in heavy machinery and stereo speakers.
• Shoddy is made from discarded wool. To produce shoddy, the existing wool fabric is cut into small pieces and carded. The carded wool is then spun into yarn. This yarn, which is inferior to fresh wool, is used to manufacture low-cost woollen garments and blankets.

2. Silk

• Silk is mostly used to make clothes such as shirts, trousers, ties, skirts, and sarees.
• Silk is widely utilised in the manufacture of different home décor items, producing a glossy, elegant, and attractive end product.
• Woven silk fibre is occasionally used to make bicycle tyres and parachutes.

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Things to Remember

• The majority of the wool comes from sheep. Sheep are grown and bred for their wool, and their hair is cut and spun into yarn.
• Wool is seen on the body of wool producing animals as a dense covering of hair. Because air is a poor conductor of heat, it becomes trapped in the gaps between the wool fibres and prevents body heat from escaping.
• Natural fibres are derived from natural sources such as animals and plants, whereas synthetic fibres are derived from non-natural sources.
• Wool can absorb up to 30% of its own weight in water without feeling wet, and it can even emit heat.
• Sometimes sheep are selected to gain a breed that has only fine soft hair on the skin and less or no hard hair. This process is called Selective Breeding.
• Rearing of silkworms to get silk is known as Sericulture.

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