How does the black fur of the Malayan sun count as an adaptation to its environment...?

Question

I have a question in my science homework about comparing how the polar bear and the malayan sun bear are adapted to their environments. One is that the polar bear has white fur and the MSB black...but I'm not entirely sure how this counts as an adaptation? Surely, if the sun bear lives in a warm, tropical climate, it should have pale fur to help reflect the sun away as opposed to black, which would absorb it?

Help much appreciated!

Answer 1

OK

First polar bears are NOT white, even though they APPEAR white. Actually their skin is black and their fur is clear and transparent. Strangely enough it only allows light to travel in one direction and that is toward the body. Any light traveling back undergoes refraction and is bent back towards the body. This allows a polar bear to absorb virtually 100% of the heat from the sun, without loosing any to the environment. They are so efficient at keeping heat in, pictures of them taken with thermal infrared cameras are blank except for the occasional puff of breath.

Now Sun bears why are they black? There is a paradox in physical science. Things that absorb heat fast also lose heat fast. Use this info and when and/or where sun bears are active to answer your question. Keep in mind not much sun would hit some tropical places like rain forest floors.

Answer 2

I think because the dark fur allows the sun bear to blend in with its environment which helps during hunting...and that would be the same as the polar bear having white fur in the arctic.

Answer 3

You have to remember that the color of the hair is not the same as the color of the body. While the sun bear may have dark hair that absorbs heat, it can piloerect (that is, make its hair stand up away from its body). This also means there is a layer of air trapped next to the body, which can act as insulation.
As to polar bears, they have white hair but black bodies. In their case, the color is a trade-off between thermoregulation and camouflage.

Answer 4

Polar bears have clear/transparent hairs whch reflect the colour of their environment - they are not white at all.