Animals With Toughest Skin
Hippopotamus The skin of a hippopotamus is two inches thick all over its body. Its thick hide serves a few purposes. For one, it offers protection from the harsh sunlight in its African grassland habitat. Furthermore, its skin releases a pink ooze that prevents this mammal from getting sunburned.
Honey Badger Though honey badgers are small mammals compared to others on this list, they have remarkably tough skin. Honey badgers have black fur with a wide, silver section of hair running over their head and back. These mammals are best known for their fierce fighting abilities.
Camel It doesn’t seem like camels belong on a list of animals with the toughest skin. But, they do! Most camels live in the desert where it is extremely hot and arid throughout the day. Furthermore, it can get very cold at night. So, it takes an animal with tough skin to survive and even flourish in these extreme conditions.
Armadillo An armadillo has a dark or light gray carapace made of bony plates covering its head and back. It features tooth-like formations called scutes. An armadillo’s carapace serves as excellent protection when a coyote, hawk, raccoon, or other predator attacks.
Whale Shark Whale sharks can grow to a length of 33 feet! These creatures have gray skin covered in small white spots. A whale shark’s tough skin can measure up to four inches thick. Their thick skin protects them from predators including tiger sharks, great white sharks, and killer whales.
Bison A bison is best known for the hump on its back. This is a strong mammal with a thick hide and a long coat of fur. Its thick skin serves as insulation against the cold winter weather. In fact, bison skin actually changes with the weather by toughening further as the temperature drops.
Sperm Whale An adult sperm whale grows to a length of 40 to 52 feet. Understandably, adult sperm whales have very few predators. But when one does attack, it’s met with a layer of skin on this whale measuring 13.5 inches thick!
Rhinoceros Look at the layers or large sections of skin on a rhinoceros and it’s easy to believe they have some of the toughest skin in the animal world. The skin of a rhinoceros is two inches thick. Its skin consists of layers of collagen.
Elephant It’s easy to believe an elephant has tough skin. This large animal has skin that is one inch thick over most of its body. It has a thinner layer of skin around its flapping ears. The thickness of its skin is a defense against predators. But the texture of its skin serves another purpose.
Crocodile Take a look at the back and tail of a crocodile and you’ll see why these creatures are a must-have on a list of animals with the toughest skin. This reptile’s skin has been compared to a suit of armor.