What animal will melt the snow on it's back faster, a Lamb or a Cow?

Question

What animal will melt the snow on it's back faster, a Lamb or a Cow?

Answer 1

Cow, because the cow's back has more surface area.

Answer 2

A cow.

The wool of a lamb is an insulator, which acts as a barrier between internal and external temperature. The wool is kind of like a thermos, which keeps what's inside cool or hot, even if the outside is a different temperature.

So the outer part of the wool would get cold (like your hair in winter), and snow would sit on top of it (the wool protects the snow for the lamb's heat), but the lamb would be all cozy.

Think of the wool like a sleeping bag.

A cow doesn't have a think insulating coat.

Answer 3

lamb...coz the wool is has trapped warm air inside...and thus should melt the snow faster....

Answer 4

I have to admit, this is a very interesting question. I would have to say cow. Here is the reasoning:

lamb's body temperature is 102-103F.

cow's body temperature is 101.5F

Encyclopedia Brittanica states that sheep and cattle basicly have the same temperature range. With that being equal, you have to consider the medium by which there is heat exchange. Lamb's are very insulated by their wool and the trapped air spaces between the hair fibers. Cows have shorter hair and more direct skin contact. Thus, they would have better heat exchange to the snow and thus should melt the snow slightly faster.

However, I am sure both animals would prefer the barn in the winter months.

Answer 5

hmm idk im guna guess and say a lamb just cuz it has wool and like think of a wool blanket covern the snow would make it melt cuz blankets r warm lol idk

Answer 6

Do you really mean a 'lamb'? A young sheep has less insulation than a sheep. Depending on the age, a lamb can have anywhere from almost no insulation when it's born to several inches before it's 1 yr old which would strongly affect it's insulation.

Also, would you be referring to a wool sheep or a hair sheep. Big difference in the insulation value and the growth length of these sheep. For instance, a wool sheep like a shetland has about 4-5 inches of wool surrounding it's body. I can tell you they don't melt snow at all. A St. Croix, however, is a hair sheep and while well insulated, it is not particularly better at insulating than a cow (and both are pretty good, mind you).

So if you actually mean any type of sheep over any type of cow, I'd say the cow would melt the snow faster.