The Clever Adaptation of Polar Bears to Their Environment

Bear tours to Polar regions are becoming ever more popular among nature enthusiasts looking for the ultimate in wildlife spotting experiences. Such bear tours to the Arctic are organised through specialised travel companies, with excellent itineraries that offer plenty of opportunities to observe the magnificent mammals.

For those embarking on a trip to see the Polar Bears, it is well worth doing some research before you go. The more you know about how these fantastic creatures live and behave the more you will get out of the experience.

How Have Polar Bears Adapted?

The Polar Bear is very well adapted to its extreme environment, which consists of snow, ice and perishing temperatures. In fact, they are more like to overheat than become hypothermic, because of the clever way their bodies have evolved to adapt to the frozen conditions. Here we outline some of the physical characteristics that help these animals survive on daily basis, some of which you will have the pleasure of observing yourself on bear tours to the Polar regions.

Size Matters

Firstly, the large size of the animal stands it in good stead to survive the temperatures they endure on a daily basis. The bigger an animal is, the higher the volume to surface area ratio, meaning they lose less heat though their skin. They also have very small ears and tail, as appendages such as these are not the most important for survival and affect the surface area/volume ratio to cause more heat to be lost.

Fat is also very important to animals that need to exist in this environment, and while fur is the main source of insulation, fat helps to insulate as well - and Polar Bears have plenty. In fact, a grown animal's layer of body fat can be as much as 10cm thick. The milk the females produce is very high in fat and protein, so cubs are able to put on body weight quickly in order to help with their survival.

Diet

Polar Bears need calories and, while they are opportunistic omnivores, they prefer to dine on meat and fat from seals and whale carcasses. Fat yields more calories per gram and therefore every bite offers more sustenance and more fat building potential.

Fur

The animals' fur is very thick and, apart from the tip of the nose, they are completely covered. The undercoat is thicker than that of most other bears and the fact that the light colour of the fur reflects light, blending in to the snow, helps them remain camouflaged – another very important adaptation to their environment.

If you're planning on heading off to the frozen wilderness in order to enjoy and up close and personal experience with these spectacular creatures on one of the dedicated bear tours, learning as much as you can beforehand will result in an engaging, fulfilling and true 'once in a lifetime' experience.

Marissa Ellis-Snow is a freelance nature writer. If you’re looking for bear tours, Naturetrek specialises in expert-led natural history and wildlife tours worldwide. Naturetrek brings over 25 years of experience to polar expeditions and tours to other spectacular regions on Earth.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.