Wrinkles on bulldogs disappear and reappear: Here is why
Has this question ever crossed your mind, “Where do wrinkles come from?” We see them on old people (read grandparents!) and even on certain animals, such as the bulldog. While wrinkles on humans appear as a symptom of ageing, bulldogs get loose skin even in their young age. Do you know why this happens? It has got to do with their evolution! Also, these wrinkles disappear and reappear. Read on to know more.
Bulldog breeding and wrinkles
Bulldog: the very term conjures up the image of a dog with a flattened face, wrinkly cheeks, powerful front legs, smaller hind legs and a smooth fur overall. However, the wrinkles spread across its body, including the head, are their most distinctive features. But why does this particular breed of dog have these skin folds? Turns out, it’s because of how they were bred.
Well, bulldogs have been bred over the course of time in England as bull baiting or fighting dogs (supposed to be tough), yet meant to look cute like a pug. Also, they also had to serve the purpose of being companions and guards of women from noble class.
Function of these wrinkles
Okay, now that we know that wrinkles got to do with the breeding of bulldogs, here are the purposes they serve. Firstly, the loose wrinkly skin helps protect them during fights and also enables them to move about freely and continue to fight even when the opponent has a better grip. After all, the looser the skin, the more difficult it is to catch hold of. In addition, the wrinkles also act as channels for proper blood circulation, meaning that they help keep the blood out of their eye region and instead, flow down the wrinkles.
Wrinkles disappear and reappear in bulldogs
Now that you know why bulldogs have wrinkles, you might be wondering if they are born with them. Turns out, no! Bulldogs only develop minor wrinkles when they are 4 to 5 weeks old but these too disappear at around 24 weeks. Okay, so when exactly does this fat under the skin come back? Well, that would be somewhere in between 6 to 12 months. But why do the wrinkles appear, disappear and then reappear? Well, around 4 to 5 weeks, bulldogs start to show the first signs of body fat and in turn, the noticeable initial wrinkles. However, soon they start growing longer and taller that gives them a gangly appearance and once this reaches its peak, the dog loses its first wrinkles. These canine companions get the wrinkles back around 6 to 12 months when they finally mature and start to look like a traditional bulldogs with jutted jaws, a wide stature and full-grown, broadened head, shoulders and hips. Soon, as they turn into adults, they get back their final wrinkles that only grow over time and never vanish. How amazing is that!
Fun fact: The wrinkles near a bulldog’s snout have a special name called ‘nose rope’. It’s because it looks like someone has tied a rope around the head of the animal.