The ten best animals with the toughest skin

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You can learn a lot about an animal by looking at its physical characteristics. Its traits can give you clues about its habitat, the type of climate it lives in, as well as its predators. Tough skin is a common trait in many animals.

The following ten animals have the toughest skins in the animal kingdom. Find out why they have tough skin. Is it related to their habitat, the climate in which they live, or their predators? Maybe all of the above!

# 10 Behemoth

Animals with the toughest skin — *To stay cool in the scorching African heat, hippos spend most of the day in rivers and lakes.*

The skin of a hippopotamus throughout its body is two inches thick. Its thick hide serves several purposes. First, it offers protection from harsh sunlight in African grasslands. In addition, its skin secretes pink mucus, which protects this mammal from sunburn. Think of it like a natural sunscreen.

The tough skin of the hippopotamus also serves as protection from predators. However, there are not many predators that will challenge the hippopotamus. Hippos are known for their aggressiveness and territorial affiliation. In addition, they have strong jaws that can inflict a deadly bite. This is more than enough for many predators to keep their distance!

Take a look here to learn more about hippos.

# 9 Honey badger

Animals with the toughest skin - honey badger — *Honey badgers are one of the few non-primate species that use tools.*

Although honey badgers are small mammals compared to others on this list, they have surprisingly tough skin. Honey badgers have black fur with a broad, silver strand of hair running down the head and back. These mammals are best known for their fierce fighting abilities. They are strong animals with sharp teeth and claws. But did you know that their skin helps protect them when meeting another animal?

The pelt of a honey badger is about a quarter of an inch thick. The skin may not appear thick, but for small mammals it is considered thick. Its skin is tough enough not to damage the teeth of a hyena or even a big cat. In addition, this badger’s skin can stretch. So, when grabbed, the honey badger can turn and bite the predator with its claws, trying to escape.

To learn more about honey badgers, read this page.

# 8 Camel

The animals with the toughest skin are the camel — *The dromedary, or Arabian camel, Camelus dromedarius, in the long golden grass in an Egyptian meadow.*

Camels don’t seem to be on the list of the toughest-skinned animals. But they do it! Most camels live in the desert, where it is very hot and dry during the day. It can also get very cold at night. So, to survive and even thrive in these extreme conditions, you need an animal with tough skin.

If you’ve ever seen a camel resting, you know that sometimes it kneels down and curls its legs under it. Take a moment to imagine how hot the desert sand gets, especially in the middle of the day. This is why camels have very thick layers of skin on the knees as well as on the chest. They know how to relax in the sand without burning their skin.

The thick camel skin and thick fur coat keep this large mammal warm on cold desert nights.

To learn more about camels, visit this page.

# 7 Armadillo

Hard-skinned animals - armadillos — *A nine-striped armadillo that feeds on corn. The armadillos are covered with bone plates that create their “armor”.*

The armadillo has a dark gray or light gray carapace, consisting of bony plates covering its head and back. It has serrated formations called scutes. The armor of an armadillo serves as an excellent defense against an attack by a coyote, hawk, raccoon, or other predators. This intelligent animal knows how to get the most out of its shell or armor when a predator approaches.

When an armadillo is threatened or approached by a predator, it jumps into the air and rolls into a ball before landing on the ground. Some types of armadillos can jump up to three or four feet! There are very few predators patient enough to figure out how to access this animal after it has curled itself up into an armored ball!

To learn more about battleships, visit this page.

# 6 Whale shark

Hard skinned animals - whale shark — *Whale shark on a blue background. Each whale shark has its own unique pattern of spots, very similar to human fingerprints.*…

Whale sharks can grow up to 33 feet long! These creatures have gray skin covered with small white patches. The tough skin of a whale shark can be up to four inches in thickness. Their thick skin protects them from predators including tiger sharks, great white sharks and killer whales.

Whale sharks have a layer of denticles on their backs. Prongs are teeth-shaped scales. This layer of teeth together with the thick skin is effective protection for this delicate sea creature.

To find out more about whale sharks, take a look here.

# 5 Bison

Animals — *The American bison is the largest mammal in North America.*

The bison is best known for its back hump. It is a strong mammal with thick skin and long fur. Its thick skin provides protection from the cold winter weather. In addition, its durable hide protects this large mammal from the bites of horseflies, fleas and other pests that constantly circle around in the warm season.

Its sturdy hide also protects against predators, including mountain lions, wolves, and grizzly bears.

Find out more about bison right here.

# 4 Sperm whale

The animals with the toughest skin are the sperm whale — *Sperm whale in the Indian Ocean, Mauritius. Sperm whales are the largest of all toothed whales and can grow to a maximum length of 52 feet (15.8 m) and a weight of 90,000 pounds (40 metric tons).*

An adult sperm whale grows 40 to 52 feet in length. It is understood that adult sperm whales have very few predators. But when someone does attack, he comes across a 13.5-inch layer of skin on this whale!

Although
th
e sperm whale has thick skin on its back, head, and tail, there is none on the lower abdomen. So, when this sea creature sees a predator, it turns to the threat with its strong and stubborn back.

For more information on sperm whales, go to this page.

# 3 Rhino

Animals with hard skin - rhinoceros — *African white rhino, also known as square-lipped rhino, in the South African Wildlife Sanctuary.*

Look at layers or large patches of skin on a rhino and it’s easy to believe they have the toughest skin in the animal kingdom. The skin of a rhino is two inches thick. His skin is made up of layers of collagen. The strong skin of the rhinoceros provides it with a high level of protection from predators. However, the skin of a rhino does not protect it from everything.

Have you ever seen a video of a rhino rolling in the mud? They do this because their skin is vulnerable to sunburn. The dirt on their body dries up, and this serves as protection from the sun’s rays. In addition, the dried mud helps protect the body of the rhinoceros from insect bites.

For more information on rhinos, take a look here.

# 2 Elephant

Animals with the toughest skin - elephant — *An elephant in the Okavango Delta in Moremi, Botswana.*

It’s easy to believe that an elephant has tough skin. This large animal has one inch thick skin on most of its body. He has a thinner layer of skin around his flapping ears. The thickness of his skin is protection from predators. But the texture of his skin serves a different purpose.

One of the most noticeable features of elephant skin is wrinkles. After an elephant has survived a rainstorm or bathed in a lake, water gets stuck in its wrinkles. Just imagine how much water a single adult elephant can store in its wrinkled skin pouches! This moisture helps to cool this animal in a hot meadow or savannah.

Elephants bathe in mud for the same reasons as rhinos. The mud bath helps keep flies, fleas and other insects away from the skin and protects against sunburn.

Read here to learn more about elephants.

# 1 Crocodile

Animals with the toughest skin - crocodile — *Australian crocodile at the water’s edge. Crocodiles have the strongest bite of any animal in the world.*

Take a look at the crocodile’s back and tail and you will understand why these creatures are a must on the list of the toughest skinned animals. The skin of this reptile is compared to armor.

The bony structures on the back, tail, and head of a crocodile are called scutes. The pads are made of a hard material called keratin. If you see an animal with horns, chances are that the horns are made from keratin. Under the scutes of the crocodile is another layer of bone material called osteoderm. The osteoderm layer consists of overlapping areas, which makes it even more durable.

Although the skin of this reptile has been compared to armor, it is flexible. This allows the crocodile to navigate the water dexterously. Crocodiles need the flexibility to move quickly, change direction, and dive into lakes or rivers.

The layers of crocodile skin are so strong that they can prevent a bullet from entering the reptile’s body and damaging its organs. This is such a tough skin!

To learn more about the crocodile, visit this page.

Ten animals with the toughest skin:

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