Are unicorn horns covered in fur?

[ggg-2 3,550]

Don't know if many people have noticed, but a unicorn and alicorn's horns are the same color as the rest of their coat so are their horns covered in fur?

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,360]

I was literally wondering this exact thing yesterday. I assume they are, with their coats being as thin as they are it probably makes little difference on the horn itself. It is so easy to forget about pony fur. XD

[CypherHoof 26,479]

Seems unlikely. The spa ponies use files on unicorn horns, which isn't going to work well if they aren't actually, erm, horn....

[MangoFoalix 24,899]

In my opinion, I don't think it would be covered in fur. I'm guessing that it's completely bone but the pigment of the bone is changed considering what kind of color fur they have.

[CypherHoof 26,479]

2 minutes ago, TheTaZe said:

In my opinion, I don't think it would be covered in fur. I'm guessing that it's completely bone but the pigment of the bone is changed considering what kind of color fur they have.

I am assuming so, given the spa pony thing - but am also noting that not all horns are made of bone; the rhino horn, for example, is mostly made out of a hair-like material with a hard calcium core (more like a tooth than a bone) that can be sharpened like a pencil...

many other similar structures (such as seasonal antlers) are grown INSIDE the same hair-like material (usually called "velvet" and stripped once the antlers are fully grown) so that's a possibility too

[Guest]

I wonder about that myself sometimes. In my headcanon I like to think that a unicorn's horn is very bony and hard but covered in a very thin membrane layer of something that's something like fur. Very velvety to the touch, maybe.

[King of Canterlot 9,588]

Um, I'm gonna say no, they aren't. I don't really have a particular reason, I just don't think they're covered with any type of fur, I imagine it's more of a kinda very light bone that can be pigmented or something like a few others have said here. I mean really, when you picture a Unicorn, do you picture it having fur on it's horn? I sure don't, so that's why I don't think they have any fur on their horns at all, that would just be kinda weird   

Edited July 29, 2018 by King of Canterlot

[Props Valroa 26,103]

I sincerly doubt they are. There is no fur or fwoofiness shown on them. I think they are bone with the pigment of the fur. 

[碇 シンジン 27,427]

I don't think so they seem pretty solid from the looks of it

[Goat-kun 2,500]

It's obviously a keratinous structure with a magic crystalline core simulating a magical girl wand. That's why it doesn't bleed when it is broken, doh.

[CypherHoof 26,479]

3 minutes ago, Goat-kun said:

It's obviously a keratinous structure with a magic crystalline core simulating a magical girl wand. That's why it doesn't bleed when it is broken, doh.

That WOULD be consistent; the spa ponies may be shaping the outer structure with the files for aesthetic purposes...

[Sliding Bolt 4,358]

I would say no. Similarly to their hooves, they are the same color but arent covered in fur. Because they can get their hooves shined but they stay the same color I'd assume it's the same with horns.

[SharpWit 2,482]

The first thing that came to mind was those little hairs on crabs called setae. I think Cypherhoof had the best answer, and if the bone were to have a hair like material, that could explain how it matches the coat color, and might even be indicative that it's in good health. Imagine if horns could die like teeth!

[RDDash 18,884]

Probably no, just a bone structure similar to hooves

[Narcissus 352]

No, they wouldn't have fur on their horns. Animals that have horns don't have fur on them. Even deer who have velvet on their antlers wouldn't be considered 'furry' in that respect. The ponies are cartoons, and as such, are stylized versions of the real animal. In the show, their hooves are the same color because they are extensions of their own bodies and it looks good that way. The same goes for the horns. They look good and fit the character, that's all. 

[BlinkZ 1,151]

No, I don't think unicorn horns are covered in hair. I mean sure it matches coat colour but maybe thier bones really are their coat colours too. On a side note i'm suprised Rarity head didnt look bald and pink similar to the time Snip an snails had ot cut thier hair to get the gum off thier butts

[Jedishy 3,542]

On 7/29/2018 at 12:28 PM, CypherHoof the Reblanked said:

Seems unlikely. The spa ponies use files on unicorn horns, which isn't going to work well if they aren't actually, erm, horn....

This statement sort of sums up what I feel about the horns having fur. If they use files on them then no I doubt they have fur. Buuuuut are they like our nails which are just keratin and happen to be colored like their fur? Or are they actually bone and thus their entire skeleton is that color? I think its the first option but I am not entirely sure. 

[Miti 82]

being a giant nerd and studying anatomy, it would be on par with that of your teeth, but without falling out.  It's hardened calcium, which theoretically plays as a good conductor of magic!  this is also why the spa ponies can use a file on horns, as any conductor used in open air can build up residue over a period of time.  it would be akin to brushing your teeth to have your horn filed.  i assume the horn being the same colour as the coat being just ease for the animation team, as standard unicorns have white horns almost eternally, since that is the standard colour of bones or teeth.

Edited August 5, 2018 by Miti

[Ganondox 899]

I think pony horns are covered in a shell that is the same color as their hair, as it's made of the same stuff with the same pigments, but it's not hair. 

On 7/29/2018 at 4:10 PM, R.D.Dash said:

Probably no, just a bone structure similar to hooves

Hooves are made of keratin, not bone. It's the same stuff hair is made of. 

[Wonderbolt Slipstream 263]

If it matches the color of the rest of their body then yes, the only exception's would be like Sombra and Chrysalis

[FizzyGreen 908]

Well, i wouldn't call it fur i generally don't accept that ponies have fur. First they have a coat, which is like their skin but thicker.
And i think it's just the bone having a color. Because anything else would mean a thin coat is on there, NOW that DOES make sense and also is implied by the not-season-1-horns because they have a smooth transition from the head. But i think the skin would have to be under alot of vertical tension to stay on there and not look floppy. And that would lead to health issues with the skin there being fragile.

And when you look inside Fizzlepop Berrytwist's (what was her other name, i seriously forgot, Tempest!) horn, it has a color in there. Or if you look around the cracks you cant see any skin overhanging.

So, i would say... no.

[Sunny Fox 5,935]

Horns are lifelong, antlers are seasonal. Horns are not covered in fur/skin (they are keratin, the same as finger nails on a human), antlers are until full grown, where the living tissue over the antlers is worn or rubbed off. Since ponies have their horns all through their lives, and don't seem in canon to ever have a period where they have to shed a layer of living tissue, I'd have to conclude that no, their horns are not covered in fur, merely made of a keratin that is the same colour as their fur. Of course, we're talking about magical little horses, so YMMV, but I'd contend they are not covered in fur, just as your finger nails are not covered in skin.

[Senko 459]

On 8/5/2018 at 2:43 PM, Miti said:

being a giant nerd and studying anatomy, it would be on par with that of your teeth, but without falling out.  It's hardened calcium, which theoretically plays as a good conductor of magic!  this is also why the spa ponies can use a file on horns, as any conductor used in open air can build up residue over a period of time.  it would be akin to brushing your teeth to have your horn filed.  i assume the horn being the same colour as the coat being just ease for the animation team, as standard unicorns have white horns almost eternally, since that is the standard colour of bones or teeth.

Hmmm like a Narwhal . . . strangely I find the idea of a horn made out of a toothlike material bothers me more than a horn made out of bone or ivory (although ivory is sort of a tooth material as well). Considering teeth get stained/bleeched it could explain the colouring though and the cleaning hmmm . . .

This picture also would sort of match Tempest's broken horn with the enamel and then the dentin while down even closer to her forehead is the pulp. Great now I'm never going to be able to get this idea out of my head.