In the Arctic Circle, these majestic creatures are revered for their ice-blue eyes and snow-white fur. But what many people don’t know is that polar bears have a brown coat underneath their surface layer of pure white hair. The color difference is due to something called “polar bear camouflage.”
As you might imagine, living in an environment with few sources of food means it’s important for these animals to be able to blend into the landscape so they can catch prey easily. Polar bears naturally have a very thick coat of fur to help them stay warm during their time on land. The natural color underneath the white hair is brown, so they can easily blend into their surroundings in regions where some trees and rocks match this coloring.
However, without vegetation or other camouflage for protection, these animals must rely on an even thicker layer of pure white fur when hunting seals at sea. No brush or moss is lining the icy tundra along the ocean’s edge here-only snow and ice! That means polar bears need all of those extra layers just as much as humans do to survive in such extreme temperatures.
Polar bears are descendants of the brown bear, but they evolved to be white because it helps them to blend in with their snowy environment. The natural color underneath the white hair is brown, so they can easily blend into their surroundings in regions where some trees and rocks match this coloring.
While many animals are brightly colored, the polar bear has evolved to be white to hide from its prey in freezing icy conditions. One of the startling traits these mammals have successfully adapted to is their white coloration, which helps them blend in with their surroundings. The bear’s color helps them blend in with their environment for hunting, training, and protecting their young.
The image of a polar bear is well known to be white, but the truth remains that they’re only partly white and have a coat that ranges in color from cream to blonde. The polar bear is iconic thanks to its all-white fur, but another impression has led people to believe that they are purely white. This aspect, however, is false.
A polar bears’ coat goes from cream at birth through different shades of blonde as it grows older and becomes denser with fat, making them appear whiter before finally becoming blackish as time passes. The bears have black skin, and their fur is clear in color, but it gets its color due to its structure.
The pigment gives color to skin and hair, but polar bears have a pigment that makes the light reflect their surroundings, absorbing the white around them and making them come across as white when in reality, they aren’t.
We know that the main reason behind polar bears’ white fur is to help them blend in with their surroundings. It makes camouflage easier for predators and helps them hunt animals for food. It used to be believed that polar bears developed their white fur because it was an adaptation that aided survival. However, recent studies have debunked the theory, and the truth is yet unknown.
Sometimes, when a polar bear’s fur feels slightly green or yellow, it’s not because of an eerie radioactive effect. It sometimes happens due to algae that grow inside the hollow hairs in this white bear’s coat! Polar bears often turn white when the weather is sunny and warm.
Polar bears are white to us, but they have a coat of clear fur on top of their black. This creates the illusion that they’re white. All animals have pigment in their skin, hair, or feathers that help them blend into the environment. But polar bears evolved to live on an ice-covered land and never came across many predators. So they don’t need camouflage—they’re able to sport a glossy white coat so other prey can spot them from farther away!