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Dear Bumpy:
From your name I don't know if you are a boy or a girl. In truth, it doesn't matter. Either way,
your body is hairier than you know and goosebumps have a lot to do with hair, and muscles, and
skin. All over your body, you have tons of small hairs. And underneath the skin, there are tiny
muscles attached to the base of these hairs. You get goosebumps when these tiny muscles pull the
hairs until they are standing straight up at attention and your skin bunches together into little
bumps. Generally, you get goosebumps when you are cold; but sometimes you can get them when you are
frightened or something gives you "the chills."
Animals get goosebumps, too. They help keep many animals warm by fluffing up the fur and
trapping air. But, unfortunately, not so for you poor humans. You don't have enough hairs for that
to work. So, if you're cold, you'll need to grab a sweatshirt!
Oh, there's one more reason for goosebumps! Furry animals use goosebumps to scare off
potential predators. Fluffed up fur makes them look big -- and therefore, scary! Tell me, Bumpy, is
that why some of you humans have big hair????
Signed,
Wendell
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