• Under ultraviolet photography, the polar bear appears dark because its fur absorbs ultraviolet rays.
• The polar bear obtains a large amount of vitamin A from its prey, which accumulates in its liver. There have been cases of poisoning in people who consumed polar bear liver.
• The polar bear catches its prey by striking it with its paw, pulling it onto the ice when the animal sticks its head out of the water.
• The fur is actually transparent and the skin is black.

The young ice bear has white, thick fur that appears soon after birth and protects it from the cold; the adult white bear also possesses thick white fur which retains body heat and camouflages the animal among snow and ice. A thick layer of fat under the skin protects the species from severe cold and serves as a food reserve. The adult has large, sharp claws that aid in walking on ice, swimming, and hunting prey, and its wide paws with fur on the soles allow it to avoid sinking into ice and swim quickly.