IF you ask any child what colour is the polar bear fur, the answer will probably be white. But scientists after years of research have found that polar bears actually have black
skins and colourless hair.
Their thick hollow hairs reflect light to give its white-looking coat. Guard hairs, which protect the plush thick undercoat, are hollow and transparent. The thinner hairs of the undercoat are not hollow, but they are colourless too. To human and other creatures that see only in visible light, polar bears nearly blend in seamlessly with their snowy environment.
Polar bears are nearly invisible in infrared photos. But reindeer have outsmarted the polar bears’ fur by evolving vision that can be seen in ultraviolet light.
