Polar bears have become something of an icon for the Arctic. The world’s largest land predators , they are big, they are beautiful, they are – not white, actually. Across their evolution they’ve developed some curious adaptations for life in the cold, and we don’t yet understand all of them. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

Polar bears can tolerate extremely cold temperatures, living in regions where the winter can drop to -46°C (-50°F) for weeks at a time. Life-ending stuff for a human, but everything from a polar bear’s skin to its paws and claws is custom-built to their environment.

Why do polar bears have white fur?

“Polar bear fur is not actually white!” said Polar Bears International’s Director of Conservatio

See Full Page