Polar Bears: Thick Layer Bear

Polar bears have a thick layer of fat called blubber which is about 11 cm thick. This also helps the bears to survive in the freezing conditions. Not only on land, but the thick layer of fur coat and blubber helps them as they spend a great amount of time swimming in the freezing waters of the Arctic. Blubber is a thick layer of fat that helps prevent sea mammals from getting too cold. Blubber in depth, is an extra digested food stored in the form of adipose tissue, which contains molecules called lipids. The fat is evenly spread out, covering the entire body. In relation to other fats and tissues such as muscle or skin, adipose tissue is thicker and has low thermal conductivity, meaning it doesn’t transfer heat as well as other tissues, therefore

In water, heat is lost rapidly compared to air because thermal conductivity of water is 25 times of air. Blubber also deals with the force in the water. There is a greater friction in the water than air, resisting the movement of the body, due to sea water having a higher density. Polar bears have a streamlined shape in order for them to move forward freely. It is blubber that provides them with a smooth sculpted outline. Healthy polar bears have buoyancy (force that acts on an object in water), that helps them float on water, due to the blubber they gain from eating seals. Fats and muscles filled with adipose tissues is less dense than the water, meaning it will help the polar bears float in water compared to other tissues, which are denser than water. The amount of blubber stored will affect their buoyancy, and consequently the energy used for swimming in the Arctic ocean. Polar bears store enough fat as blubber to keep them warm, even when they swim long distances. This is how they don’t get hypothermia and are able to preserve their normal temperature, keeping them strong and

Specifically, during winter, annual ice forms and melts completely during the summer. Annual ice have a maximum thickness of 2 m and it can be easily penetrated by sunlight. Consequently, polar bears do most of their hunting on these ice. However, sometimes, these annual ices are very thin, and therefore, polar bears plunge into the freezing waters unintentionally. When they fall into the waters, they might not be any holes underneath the ice for them to resurface onto the ice. This might be very dangerous for the polar bears and so they will have to try and minimize their weight, applied on the ice. The surfaces of the ice floes are very slippery. This may have an effect on the polar bears hunting for food, as they have to travel and sometimes run in order to catch their preys before they hide and disappear. Humans in the Arctic need to wear snowshoes so that they don’t slip while walking on ice. Despite being barefooted, polar bears do not slip or skid on ice. They are also able to run on the ice while hunting. Polar bears are able to travel long distances in complete balance without slipping or falling over. If other animals like the black or grizzly bears, were located on these terrains, they would not be able to travel far as they won’t have any balance and the surface will be too slippery for them. Their feet will also get too cold from the cold frigid