Polar Bear Skin: Does Their Thick Skin Make Winter 'Bear'able?

Polar bears are the species that stand at the topmost level of the food chain, according to science, and are the most important creatures in the Arctic marine environment.

Polar bears rely completely on the sea ice as they can hunt seals from there. Polar bears get their main source of food, seals, from the sea.

You can find polar bears hunting down seals in the arctic wildlife. When the seals come to the surface, polar bears bite or grab them while swimming and drag them to land.

They spend most of their lives around the sea. However, due to global warming and ensuing climate change, the rapid melting of icebergs has resulted in habitat loss for polar bears.

The cubs have pink-colored skin during their first 150 days of life. They change their color from pink to black with age. It is very unusual if you see their black-colored skin, as most of it is covered with thick fur.

You'll only see their skin on their paws and nose. They have paddle-shaped paws, and these paws help them in swimming efficiently. If some infection or disease occurs, then you will see the dark skin as the polar bear sheds its hair.

After reading about the polar bear skin, also check out polar bear adaptations, and what makes polar bears white here on Kidadl.

Is a polar bear's skin clear?

The color of a polar bear's skin is black, but it is covered with fur, making it seem white in color.

The hair of polar bears appears white as the air spaces present in each hair strand are able to scatter light. The polar bear's body appears white to us because it reflects all the visible wavelengths of light.

The white polar bear fur appears more whitish and fluorescent as UV light comes into contact with the black-colored skin. The hair of the polar bear has a protein called keratin in it, which also helps reflect light. You'll find the polar bears' fur super white, like snow after they shed their fur during the late summers.

Why can't you see black skin on a polar bear?

We love watching polar bears in nature, but we haven't seen any black-skinned polar bears yet without their skin or fur having no pigmentation.

There are certain reasons why polar bears are always white. Polar bears have a fur and fluffy coat consisting of two layers, the inner one being of short hair and the outer one being of long hair of about 2–6 in (5.08–15.24 cm).

This outer hair performs as a guard for the skin, which one can see through. With the outer hair, the skin of the polar bears looks hollow, making it look like snow. Each of these hairs being hollow has the capability of light reflection, like snow.

During the day, the body of the polar bear looks like a white, hollow tube. In this tube, the light gets trapped while bouncing throughout the guard hair. The light gets scattered into particles when hit by the hair gaps inside, and this splits into more beams, directing them into different sides of the body.

Why is a polar bear's skin black?

Polar bear fur is basically made up of two layers. The outer layer consists of transparent long guard hair.

The next layer is a thick undercoat with shorter hair. Then comes the skin of the polar bear, which is black in color.

Polar bears evolved to have skin that was black in color. This helped them to absorb as much sunlight as possible and kept them warm in extreme conditions. They also have a furry tail, which is unnoticeable.

How does polar bears' hairy skin help them survive in the weather?

The heavy fur of the polar bear acts as an insulator. It keeps their bodies oily and that, in turn, helps in keeping the moisture away and keeps the body warm.

There is a sheet of blubbery fat that is just below the skin. The fat helps polar bears fight the extreme cold temperatures.

Thus, in this way, with the help of the furry body and fat layer, they help themselves to keep their bodies warm in the Arctic region of Canada. They are very strong swimmers and can swim across bays.

How thick is polar bear skin?

Polar bears are extraordinarily adapted to the extreme environment in Canada, in the Arctic region.

Bears usually have heavy fur, but the polar bear's fur is the thickest of all. They basically have two layers of fur on their bodies. Beneath this fur, there is a bushy layer of skin that is probably almost 4 in (10.16 cm). The black-colored skin helps in absorbing sunlight and keeping them warm.

Human Interactions With Polar Bears

The human-polar bear interaction usually means the time when the human beings at any time occur in the polar bear habitat and both of them are aware of each other.

This interaction may occur due to various factors like common location, timing, etc. If you ever see that the polar bear is not avoiding the human beings they have located, be sure there will be an occurrence of human-polar bear conflict.

Conserving Polar Bears

Nowadays, these creatures of the wild are being endangered. Due to the fast climate change occurring in our weather, the habitat that polar bears call home is quickly disappearing.

A large number of threats to the polar bears are due to climatic conditions, pollution, oil leakages, etc. Polar bears are severely essential in balancing the Arctic food chain, and without them, there will be an imbalance in the ecosystem.

Fortunately, human beings are studying for the conservation of the polar bear population, protecting and preserving them, preserving their habitat, and also the sea ice. International Polar Bear Day is celebrated on February 27 for the preservation of this wildlife.

It takes place during the period when the cubs and their moms are sleeping in the dens. The International Polar Bear Day is an attempt to raise awareness among people.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for polar bear skin then why not take a look at do polar bears live in Antarctica, or polar bear facts.