Polar bears are the largest members of the bear family. One male individual can weigh up to 800kg (1,700lbs) - as much as 10 humans (WWF UK). Their translucent fur reflects the sunlight, which covers up that polar bears are actually having black skin (WWF UK). Their hair is hollow and insulates the polar bear so well that their outside body temperature is nearly as cold as the snow surrounding them. This makes polar bears nearly invisible to infrared cameras and complicates counting them in remote and vast landscapes (Harvard University). 

Grown polar bears are real professional swimmers. Scientists recorded a female that swam 9 days without a break, covering a distance of over 680 km (426 miles) (National Geographic). These swimming ventures can be very dangerous for the young, but polar bears increasingly have to cover longer distances to find stable Arctic sea ice where they can raise their cubs and go hunting for seals. Global warming caused by climate change is twice as fast at the poles than elsewhere and the Arctic ice sheets are literally melting away underneath their paws (WWF). This also facilitates human access to remote places for natural resource extraction and increases the number of human-polar-bear encounters and conflicts that are dangerous for both sides. In the IUCN Red List, polar bears are still classified as “vulnerable” and some groups have remained stable over the past years (IUCN, WWF). Nevertheless, polar bears need our active protection and support in times of climate change and oil drilling in the Arctic. 

Write up by Charlotte Walter

Harvard University, http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/scientists-make-polar-bear-inspired-invisibility-cloak/
IUCN, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22823/14871490
National Geographic, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/7/110720-polar-bears-global-warming-sea-ice-science-environment/
WWF, https://arcticwwf.org/newsroom/stories/polar-bear-assessment-brings-good-and-troubling-news/
WWF UK, https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/fascinating-facts/polar-bears?gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclsrc=aw.ds