polar bears aren't actually white turns
out they can come in all sorts of colors
yellow gray orange and even green
that's because polar bear fur is
transparent and Hollow when light
strikes the outer fur some of it is
absorbed while the rest is scattered
away the result the fur can appear as
different colors under different
lighting normally polar bears look white
that's because their fur is scattering
sunlight which is also white but on a
cloudy day
the Bears can look slightly gray at
sunset they can appear reddish orange
but lighting is only half the story
polar bears and zoos have been known to
turn green concrete floors in their pins
scrape against the fur the abrasions
form tiny holes in their hairs opening a
gateway for algae that can live and
breed inside in the Arctic temperatures
are too cold for these algae but wild
polar bear fur can still change color to
yellow
thanks to oils from their prey that
stain the fur perhaps the most
surprising thing about polar bears
underneath all that hair polar bear skin
is actually black the black skin readily
absorbs sunlight to keep the bear warm
polar bears aren't just the ambassadors
of the North Pole they're masters at
manipulating color to survive
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