Say what? Do polar bears don't actually have white fur?
CHRISTMAS is coming, and when you think of the festive season, you think of the North Pole, cold, white winter with snow, presents (and perhaps Santa Claus).
One of the other things that can be found all the way up north around the Arctic Circle is the polar bear. And they blend in well with the white snowy terrain.
But is it true that the polar bear's fur is white in colour?
Verdict:
FALSE
While we see photos and videos of white polar bears, their fur is actually not white in colour. In fact, the polar bear’s coat has no white pigment;
Their long outer hairs, which protect their soft, thick undercoat, are mostly hollow and transparent. Since the outer hairs are hollow, the fur reflects the light from the sun.
Much like ice, this reflection sometimes allows these bears to appear white or even yellow.
It’s also thought that the transparency of their thick coats is designed to allow better heat absorption from the sun into their black skin beneath. This feature is useful for the bears as they live in an environment under -30C.
In a warmer environment, like in a zoo, algae can grow inside these tiny hollow hairs. With a good filtration system though, even bears in captivity should be able to maintain their “white” fur.
Hopefully, this is a cool fact you learnt today about an animal does not live in tropic weather like Malaysia.
References:
2. https://oceanconservancy.org/
3. https://www.wonderopolis.org/
