Why are polar bears able to live out side of the cold weather (e.g. zoos)?

Question

I love NY's Bronx zoo. The polar bear is really cute there. He (She?) lives outside and has a pool. Why is he able to live out side of the cold weather?

Answer 1

Polar Bears don't REQUIRE cold weather to survive they simply are ABLE to survive in it. Polar bears skin is actually black and (contrary to popular belief and the way it looks) their hair is translucent (nearly clear) so the hairs draw sunlight to the skin thereby keeping them warm. They also have a VERY thick layer of fat that keeps them warm. But, they can live in 80/90 degree weather as long as they have water to cool off in.

Slainte,


-D

Answer 2

Well, polar bears don't REQUIRE it to be -70 degrees for them to survive, they're just able to do so. They have a lot of subcutaneous fat and a double layer of fur to insulate them from the environment, and that means that in warmer weather, they get pretty warm. A responsible zoo will provide a pool for them to cool off in, in climates where they might overheat or during the summer months. In really warm places, the entire enclosure is often refrigerated (I believe they have to do this at the San Diego Zoo, as well as foreign zoos like Singapore)

Answer 3

Jacob Macinvue of Esquire Magazine broke the story earlier this year that the very polar bears you saw were actually brown bears (i.e., grizzlies), and that they had been bleached. The zookeepers and even the zoo management are now in litigation with PETA. Real polar bears explode when they are heated above freezing, which was Mr. Macinvue's first clue that something was amiss at the zoo.

Answer 4

The same reason you are able to survive in the Caribbean. All mammals are good at adapting to different habitats.