How do polar bears stay warm in Arctic winters?

Thank you for asking ! Pol ar be ars are incred ible cre atures that have adapted to surv ive in the har sh Ar ctic environment . They have several adapt ations that help them stay warm in the free zing cold temper atures of winter . Here are some of the ways polar be ars stay warm : \n 1 . Th ick Fur : Pol ar be ars have two layers of fur : a thick under co at and a longer , guard hair layer . The under co at is soft and dense , tra pping warm air next to their skin , while the guard hair s are longer and help to rep el water and wind . This double - layer ed fur coat acts excellent ins ulation , keeping the polar bear ' s body temperature at around 9 8 ° F ( 3 7 ° C ) even in sub - zero temper atures . \n 2 . Bl ub ber : Pol ar be ars have a thick layer of bl ub ber , or fat , under their skin . This bl ub ber acts as ins ulation , keeping their body heat in and the cold out . In fact , polar be ars have so much bl ub ber that they can surv ive for months without food by breaking down their stored fat for energy . \n 3 . Sun light : Pol ar be ars are well adapted to the limited sun light in the Ar ctic during the winter months . They have a special type of skin p ig ment called mel an in , which helps to abs orb the little sun light there is . This allows them to generate heat from the sun ' s ray s , which can be especially important when the sun is low on the horizon . \n 4 . Hi bern ation : While not all polar be ars hibernate , some do . During hi bern ation , their heart rate slow s down dram atically , from around 5 0 - 8 0 be ats per minute to just 8 - 1 0 be ats per minute . This helps them con serve energy and surv ive the long , cold winter s . \n In summary , polar be ars have a combination of thick fur , bl ub ber , sun light absor ption , and hi bern ation that helps them stay warm in the Ar ctic winter s . These adapt ations are cru cial for their surv ival in this har sh environment . </s>