text: how can i tell one kind of fur piece from another as to what animal was used? we have this fur piece, that you wear wrapped around the neck. the underside silk fabric is now gone. the fur is in excellent shape.its 45 inches long and 6 inches wide. the fur is black and short sort of wavish nap, and shinny.but not silky soft. we are not guessing anything at the moment on this. how can we figure out the kind of animal it came from? we are gussing it was made in the early 1900's or earlier. you should really bring it to the pro for the best bet. try a specialty fur store.