Top 17 Animals That Have Eyebrows

Today on the list of shower thoughts that make us wonder what thought process brought us to this point; do animals have eyebrows?

I mean, this is obviously such a valid, reasonable question to ask yourself, and it probably has some really deep scientific meaning, right?

Wrong! Sure, animals may have eyebrows for the same reason humans do, to keep rainwater and debris out of our eyes, but they may also just have them for our amusement.

Either way, here’s my list of the top 18 animals that have eyebrows, or at least look like they do.

1. Dogs

dog with eyebrows

No, I’m not talking about the eyebrows you Sharpie’d onto your dog as a kid. I mean actual eyebrows. As with many animals, dogs have real eyebrows; they’re just very difficult to spot in between their fur that is often the same color.

Some dogs with the most easily identifiable eyebrows include:

  • Golden retrievers
  • Spaniels
  • German shepherds
  • Schnauzers
  • Huskies
  • Pugs
  • Bernese mountain dogs
  • Australian shepherds
  • Jack Russell terriers

These pups take the eyebrow prize, with some of them appearing so bushy you could never mistake them for anything else.

There’s actually some evidence that dogs have eyebrows and eyebrow muscles for very important reasons, at least to them. You know the puppy dog eyes most canine owners are so familiar with? Well, they would be impossible without a particular set of eyebrow muscles that pull their eyes into the shape and size necessary to melt humans’ hearts.

This set of muscles is suspected to be an evolutionary addition that helps dogs communicate with humans through facial expressions since wolves don’t seem to have these muscles whatsoever. Another surprising fact is that dogs can’t control these muscles, so puppy eyes are involuntary and not at all meant to guilt us into feeding them snacks, no matter how effective it may be.

2. Penguins

penguin_310721

The award for most glorious eyebrows has to go to penguins, specifically the Macaroni, or Royal, penguins of the Antarctic. Not only are their brows bushy and huge, but they come in the brightest shade of yellow, ensuring everyone notices this feature of their face first.

Other penguins with noticeable eyebrows include:

  • Rockhopper penguins, who can wiggle their eyebrows in the funniest manner.
  • Fiordland penguins, who have less bushy, more drawn-on eyebrows.
  • Crested penguins, who probably have the most low-key eyebrows of all

Rockhopper penguins have the most interesting use for their brows, as wiggling them in the right direction could even help them attract a mate.

3. Meerkats

meercat_310721

Although their brows aren’t nearly as noticeable as other animals on the list, Meerkats get an honorable mention because they’re just so darn cute.

Their eyebrows don’t look all that much like eyebrows in the traditional sense, but the patches of slightly miscolored hair above their eyes are good enough.

In all honesty, one of the main reasons they’re on this list, stand-out eyebrows or not, is because it’s important to remind yourself of their cuteness regularly. And the little wispy whiskers that stick out of the spots where their eyebrows should be? Heart-melting in every way.

4. Primates

Monkey_310721

Alright, alright, quiet down, you evolutionary scientists. Yes, we know monkeys and other primates don’t technically have eyebrows in the human sense, but I dare you to look at a picture of a chimpanzee and tell me it doesn’t look like your Uncle Phil with its bushy brows and unkempt beard.

And it’s not only chimps who look like they’re halfway to growing brows that could make most makeup models jealous. Other primates with very noticeable eyebrows include:

  • Vervet monkeys
  • Squirrel monkeys
  • Marmosets
  • Orangutans
  • Gorillas

And for those who still don’t think monkeys can have eyebrows, I point you to the very questionably named town of Monkey’s Eyebrows, Kentucky.

I mean, if they named a town after it, it must be true.

5. Horses

Horse eye brows_310721

Horses are another group of animals on this list with relatively lowkey eyebrows. In most cases, their brows are the same color as the hair on the rest of their face, making them difficult to see but no less useful.

Just like most other creatures who developed eyebrows for reasons other than being cute, horses need their eyebrows to protect their eyes from rainwater and dust falling from above.

They can also move these muscles and change the shape of their eyes, although whether this movement is voluntary is still to be ascertained.

6. Camels

camel_310721

Camels have what I like to call grandpa eyebrows. They consist of short bushy hairs, with a few extra-long, extra-thick individual hairs sticking out past the rest of their face.

Camels had to go through a lot to become adapted to the deserts they live in. They have super long lashes and can clamp their eyes tightly shut to protect them from the sand. They can also seal their nostrils to make sure sand doesn’t blow up their nose.

Similarly, camels have such prominent, bushy eyebrows for two main reasons:

It’s no wonder their brows are so huge. Without them, they would struggle to see out of and keep their eyes healthy.

7. Owls

Owl with cool eyebrows

Another group of animals on our list of hilariously comical eyebrows are owls. I mean, you have to see it to believe it, but these birds may even give penguins a run for their money.

In fact, owl eyebrows are actually just tufts of feathers, although whenever these tufts are raised, owls always look like they’ve just seen or heard something incredibly shocking.

These tufts could help them camouflage in trees where they resemble twigs or branches. Some owls also have similar tufts that look like ears, and they’re used for the very same reason.

Owl species with the most notable eyebrows include:

  • Easter-screech owls
  • Eagle-owls
  • Great horned owls
  • Striped owls
  • Tawny fish owls

No matter the reason for their brows, they look very cute.

8. Giraffes

giraffe_310721

Giraffes have very subtle eyebrows that sometimes look like little more than some very wrinkly skin above their eyes.

There’s no scientific research as to why giraffes have these pseudo-brows or if they could even be called brows at all. However, I believe they look very convincing and, for the sake of all giraffe lovers out there, I’ve included them on the list.

9. Raccoons

racoon_310721

Alright, now we come to possibly my favorite eyebrowed animal on the list: raccoons.

Their black masks around their eyes are in stark contrast to the almost-white strips of fur that you will never convince me aren’t fully-fledged eyebrows.

Although there isn’t any majorly intriguing reason for them having these brows, the black rings around their eyes may be the reason why they’re so noticeable. In fact, these rings are very helpful in reducing the glare from light while they scavenge for food at night.

So it’s not so much that they have special eyebrows, the black circles around their eyes just make these fake brows look real, and with such cute faces, I don’t see anyone complaining about it.

10. Foxes

Fox_310721

If you search for fox eyebrows on the internet, all you’ll find are scores of makeup tutorials on how to draw on eyebrows that make you look, well, foxy.

However, if you take a look at a picture of any old fox, you’ll understand why people are so desperate to mimic its looks. Sure, their brows aren’t very noticeable, but if you take a good look, you’ll see they’re definitely there.

Fennec foxes especially have light-colored strips of fur above their eyes that often make it seem like they’re smiling when they show some teeth.

Regardless of why they have these brows, I’m sure we can all agree they’re adorable.

11. Tigers

Tiger_310721

Tigers are some of the most beautiful creatures in the world, with their complex markings and gorgeous colors.

With so many black patches and stripes on their body, it’s no surprise that they have a few around their eyes that look a lot like brows.

Tiger brows are also another makeup trend, really solidifying that the animal kingdom was much better at doing their makeup before humans even knew such things existed.

12. Lions

lion 010821

Okay. If I have to search for one more animal name followed by the word eyebrow and find at least a dozen YouTube makeup tutorials, I will simply stop writing.

Bushy brows are also known as lion brows. For whatever reason, influencers may have dreamt up. But lions also have brows, which seems lost between thousands of articles on the best brow gel and pencils.

Unfortunately, in this cesspool of information no one was looking for, it’s difficult to find any real details on actual lion eyebrows, other than the fact that they exist and are, in fact, bushy.

13. Frogs

Frog with eyebrows
https://novataxa.blogspot.com/2016/03/pristimantis-macrummendozai.html?m=1

Alright, you may be scratching your head at this one wondering how the hell an amphibian can have eyebrows but bear with me. At the very start of this article, I mentioned this would be a list of both animals with eyebrows and those that look like they do.

And the fact of the matter is, there are loads of frog species that very much look like they have brows, including:

Their brows may be slimy, but they are definitely there.

14. Red Pandas

Red panda_010821

Similar to raccoons, red pandas have absolutely adorable little white eyebrows that contrast perfectly with their auburn-tinted fur.

Despite red pandas being incredibly cute, their brows could seriously impact the way they are perceived by humans. The shape and location of these white markings are entirely out of their hands and, unfortunately, some shapes will make them look quite angry, while others make most people go “aww.”

So, if you ever encounter a particularly mean-looking red panda, just remember the poor fellow may have no control over its appearance and could still have a heart of gold.

15. Llamas and Alpacas

llama_010821

Another set of my favorite eyebrow-ed animals on this list are llamas and alpacas. These spunky animals come in hundreds of different shapes and sizes, and many appear to have eyebrows.

I know it’s difficult to determine the difference between a llama and an alpaca, especially since both can have equally bushy eyebrows. Still, the best way to figure out the difference is that llamas are usually much bigger than alpacas.

Regardless, their bushy eyebrows are likely used for the same reason as camels, to protects their eyes from the sun, rain, or any other things that may cause damage.

16. Cats

British shorthair eyebrows

Just like dogs, cats use their eyebrow muscles to signal emotion or communicate with humans. Unfortunately, they don’t have really obvious brows at all, and it can be challenging to detect when they’re using their eyebrows to show surprise or worry.

One of the best bets is that when your kitty’s forehead is kind of wrinkly or its eyes are wide, there’s a good chance it is flexing its eyebrows.

Some cat breeds with the most noticeable eyebrows include:

  • British shorthairs
  • Ragdolls
  • Manx cats
  • Balinese cats
  • European shorthairs
  • American wirehairs
  • Cymrics

If you’ve noticed whisker-like brows above your cat’s eyes, you’re not alone. These whiskers help cats detect when they come into contact with objects around them, which is especially useful while hunting when they need to put all their focus on the prey in front of them.

17. Birds

Whinchat bird_010821

Yes, I know we already mentioned owls, and they count as birds, but there are other species of flying animals that also look a lot like they have their eyebrows drawn on above their eyes.

These faux-brows are called their supercilium, and much like the drawn-on eyebrows of humans, they can be short, long, thick, or thin, with some extending all the way to the back of the bird’s head.

The best-known birds with a supercilium include:

  • Whinchats
  • Jack snipes
  • Canada warblers
  • Sandpipers
  • Pipits