Here’s what a shaved polar bear looks like

If you feel your entire physiognomy looks weird after a complete head-shave at the barbershop, then wait until you see what the maestro of winter really looks like without its immaculate “white suit”.

Even weirder!

Polar bears have transparent, hollow hairs that collectively reflect visible light and deceive the naked eyes into thinking they’re white. Under this special winter jacket however, polar bears look like some drowsy theatrical performers in a telly tubby costume, except this time, in a black one.

Polar bears are surprisingly dark skinned under their fur (although not as skinny as you might think) and this black pigment is expected to confer them some sort of heat gain advantage, meaning that it helps them trap heat from their surrounding air and keep them warm and cosy at all times. 

Here’s the closest to what a polar bear would look like without its body fur, the next two pictures are those of a hairless black bear.

polar bear shaved
A polar bear with shaved limbs Picture Credit: Quora
Shaved polar bear
A hairless South American bear
Shaved polar bear
Picture credit: Dailymail.co.uk

The last two pictures depicts a South American bear named Dolores who lost her entire body fur together with her sisters, as a (possible) result of genetic defect [1].


Why are polar bears shaved or why do they loose hairs?

Polar bears can get shaved when they pick up wound or infections on top of their skins, or need to undergo medical procedures (for treatment or research) that require shaving of the thick obstructive pelage.

Genetic defects may also cause bears to loose their entire body hairs overtime, as is (probably) the case with Dolores and her sisters who suffered from a rare genetic condition that lead to the complete loss of the body hairs with the exception of those surrounding their facial area.

The germany based bears did not appear to suffer from any other afflictions however, but were observed to develop nasty rashes and inflammations all over their skin.

Cases of complete hair loss on polar bears are yet to be documented anywhere in the world, and the incident of Dolores and her zoo sisters is only that of a South American black bear.


Riddle

What happens when you completely shave a hungry polar bear?

You get a skinny American brown bear!


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Cite this Article (APA Format)

Bunu. M. (2020, April 12). Here’s what a shaved polar bear looks like. Retrieved from http://emborawild.com/shaved-polar-bear/

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