Paws for Thought..

27th February 2012

Today is International Polar Bear Day. Was anyone aware of this? Anyone at all? I love it when days like this happen, when you have International Tea Appreciation Day or International Hug a Ukrainian Day or International Speak Like A Pirate Day. I hug my only Ukrainian friend every time I see her (thanks to this marvellous day) and I regularly count my blessings that I have such a tasty hot beverage to enjoy on a daily basis. So thank you, whoever you aaarrrrrgh out there who makes these strange holidays. You really enrich my life.

I am taking this excellent opportunity to talk about this animal, not only because it seems fitting to talk about it today (because its International Polar Bear Day, did I mention that?) but also because David Attenborough's Frozen Planet series made me a little obsessive. Imagine Dave reading these following facts to you and I have little to do to keep your interest. (Some of these will also be great to bring up at the pub and make you look really cool and educated. I'd look at it as an investment into your pub chat.)

1. They look white, but these badass bears are in fact black. They're skin is black so they can absorb any heat that radiates from the sun, and their outer fur is transparent and reflect light just like snow and ice does, making them appear white.
2. They can sniff out seals and other meaty meals from over a mile away, and spend the majority of their lives living on the edge of the sea ice so they have much more opportunity to seal the deal on dinner. 
3. Apparently, their success at hunting for food shows that they are just as intelligent as apes, and have been witnessed stacking plastic piping in a heap as part of a game.
4. The posture of a polar bear and it's resemblance to a human when skinned is said to have contributed to the Inuit folklore that bears are really just humans that dress as polar bears when they leave they're homes.. I'll let you make your own decision on this one.
5. The most famous polar bear (in my view) is called Noah from 'Noah's Island', the kid's TV programme about a group of animals on a floating island. (Sacha was always my favourite, I used to love this programme. The opening title gives me nostalgic goosebumps.) There was also Knut, the baby polar bear in Berlin Zoo that died last year.. What a Knutter.

For a charming set of photographs from the Guardian, click here, and for further information and cute pictures these fantastic brutes, go to the Polar Bears International website.