When the wind feels cold, it's time to change into winter clothes. However, polar bears, who live in a world of snow and ice, only have one coat of fur. We will tell you the secrets of their bodies, which are packed with functions to survive in extremely cold places.
The official Japanese name for polar bears is hokkiyokuguma. As their name suggests, they are bears that live in the Arctic, and the reason they can live in lands covered in snow and ice is because of the special structure of the fur that covers their bodies.
A polar bear's fur appears white, but it is actually transparent. What's more, when you part the fur, you can see its skin, which is pitch black. Its nose, paws, and claws are also black. It may look like a polar bear, but in reality it is a black bear. Its transparent fur has a straw-like structure with a hollow center, and there are many small holes on the surface. This special fur and the black skin of its skin perform some amazing functions.
First, because their fur is transparent, sunlight reaches directly to their skin. And because the skin that receives the sunlight is entirely black, it absorbs heat well and raises their body temperature. Furthermore, the air inside the straw-like fur is warmed by body heat and sunlight, so the fur itself has a heat-retaining effect, blocking out the cold outside air and providing excellent insulation.
Polar bears are animals that have adapted to extremely cold natural environments, thanks to their specialized fur structure that protects them from the cold. In fact, they can sleep comfortably even in the middle of a raging snowstorm.
Incidentally, the straw-like structure is also responsible for the reason why transparent fur appears white. Our eyes are able to distinguish colors because light is reflected off objects and we see that reflected light. For example, an apple reflects red and absorbs all other colors, so we see the reflected red. However, if all light were reflected, it would appear white to our eyes. In the case of a polar bear, light that shines on its body is reflected off its black skin, and this reflected light, along with sunlight that hits the cavities in its fur, is diffused. Polar bears appear white due to the diffuse reflection of light that occurs inside their fur.
Polar bears have amazing fur because it is transparent yet appears white, but since we don't have any natural heat generation or insulation properties, we need to prepare for the cold of winter by wrapping ourselves in warm clothes.
Animal Encyclopedia: Polar Bear
Standing up, it is over 2m tall and is one of the largest carnivores on land. It wanders around on the ice searching for prey such as seals, and kills them when they emerge from between the ice. Its white fur is used as camouflage to hide its large body when hunting. Incidentally, there have been cases where algae got into the hollows of a polar bear's fur kept in a zoo, and it would not come off even after washing, turning it into a "green bear."
Material with heat storage and sweat release properties
This material has heat generation and heat storage properties due to the processing of yarns and fabrics that have special resins kneaded into them.