What Colour is a Polar Bear’s Fur?
When we think of the snowy Arctic, we envision the mighty polar bear marching across their domain. This iconic white bear is called “wapusk” in the Cree language and “nanook” in Inuktitut. The polar bear doesn’t have white fur and their skin is actually quite dark, so, why do we think of it as the […]
The Narwhal Tusk: It’s a Tooth!
The narwhal’s tusk has long captured the imagination of people across the globe. They were found in medieval courts and inspired legends of unicorns. Today we’re still trying to understand the mystery of their tusks. What are they for and how do narwhal use them? Are they used for protection like elephant tusks or are […]
Detecting Polar Bear “Fingerprints”
Polar bears are more than an icon of the wild northern frontier, they are an important way to track the effect of a changing climate on the Arctic. These animals underwent a remarkable transformation in their genetic traits to match their extreme environment and to excel in it. All of these evolutionary traits took a […]