Polar Bears: It's Not all Black and White

Did you know… Polar Bears aren’t actually white?? Their skin is black and their fur is transparent and hollow! The black skin absorbs infrared radiation from the sun and the translucent fur traps in this heat, reflecting it back towards the bear to help keep it warm. This is also why they appear white, the longer outer hairs reflect the visible light of the sun, just like snow and ice.

Its International Polar Bear Day and we all need to work together to ensure that the largest land carnivore sticks around! Their number one threat is climate change and the melting of sea ice, however toxic pollution in the arctic food chain and oil spills are also major concerns. Toxins disrupt a whole host of biological functions and become concentrated in mother’s milk, amplifying effects in cubs. Even small amounts of oil can poison polar bears and it clings to their fur, greatly reducing the fur’s insulating effect.

Visit the link below to see what @wwf is doing to help Polar Bears:
https://arcticwwf.org/species/polar-bear/wwf/
Visit this link below to symbolically “adopt” your very own Polar Bear!
https://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/species-adoptions/polar-bear.aspx

#polarbear #conservation