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Feathers, fur on otters and seals, etc. also act as compliant wall surfaces, helping to dampen the oscillation of turbulent flow at its source, thereby reducing drag. This per research by Denis Bushnell et al at NASA Langley in the 1980s, with whom I spoke briefly at the time.
Also, some homebuilt airplane guy in Alaska about that time tried an experiment where he says he put fur (coulda been polar bear fur, but I don't recall exactly) on his plane, and reported that it reduced the drag, presumably for the same reasons. He approached the Air Force with this idea, and they told him to take a hike. This per Sport Aviation article at the time.
Perhaps this phenomenon stems from the same concept as the Sinha deturbulator tape, which is claimed to counteract turbulent flow as it begins.
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