Polar bears are highly efficient in finding out numerous biological mechanisms to cope with the heat loss. One such adaptation is that they can cool their external tissues which create an insulating shell and their body goes warm. This is known as regional heterothermy. According to the researchers, white bears by doing so prevent the extreme heat loss during swimming in the icy water. The bear must adopt this mechanism on almost regular basis for the melting of arctic ice indeed makes swimming harder and longer.
The peripheral muscles and subcutaneous fat serve as important insulators especially during swimming. They will also discharge heat through the thin muscle sheets which are present on the torso. Alongside torso bears also lose heat via snout and footpads. The significant player in the peripheral insulation is the peripheral tissue without which the insulation might never be possible. During swimming the skin temperature is relatively higher. For instance bears can hardly perform exercise for more than 15 minutes.
Read More: Polar Bear Cub. At birth the polar bear cubs have only 5-mm-long coat and there are only — hairs per square centimeter. They are not yet prepared to challenge the freezing environment of the Arctic. Unlike sharks or alligators, for example, whose teeth are generally all the same size and shape, mammals have differently shaped teeth in different areas of the jaws to target specific foods or foraging strategies.
Polar bears living in the Arctic Circle survive in one of the harshest climates in the world. One physical feature that helps the polar bear stay warm is its fur coat. The coat is made up of two distinct layers: a short and dense underfur layer right next to the skin, and an outer layer of longer and coarser guard hairs. Research on these transparent guard hairs has revealed a key property that helps to prevent heat loss in the cold Arctic air.
The guard hairs appear to be very effective at absorbing infrared radiation, which makes up a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that most mammals including humans cannot see but can feel as heat. An interesting consequence of this property is that a polar bear appears invisible in the infrared if the temperature at the surface of its coat matches the temperature of the ice and snow around it. The mammalian blackbody radiation peaks near cm-1 10 microns and the high absorptivity in this region minimizes radiative losses during a cold night for any living mammal, polar bear and hominid alike.
Our Team. Polar Bear Tracker. Just for Kids. Polar Bear Cams. Press Center. Awareness Events. Other Ways to Give. Popular Start a Fundraiser. Sign a Petition. Polar Bear Week. Two Layers of Fur Polar bears have 2 layers of fur that prevent almost all heat loss.
Thick Padding of Fat In addition to 2 layers of fur, a thick layer of fat helps keep the bears warm. Specialized Paws Polar bear paws are ideal for getting around in the Arctic. Slip-Proof Treads Black footpads on the bottom of each paw are covered by small, soft bumps known as papillae.
A polar-bear-inspired material for heat insulation. Retrieved November 10, from www. It shows that gene flow, or gene ScienceDaily shares links with sites in the TrendMD network and earns revenue from third-party advertisers, where indicated. Print Email Share. Living Well. View all the latest top news in the environmental sciences, or browse the topics below:.
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