When I was little, one of the first mind-blowing pieces of trivia I learned was that polar bears didn’t really have white fur but instead had transparent fur. I thought that was the coolest thing I had ever heard.
I still, in fact, find it pretty fascinating.
During family trips to the Louisville Zoo, I will find myself staring intently at Qannik the polar bear, somehow trying to “see” the transparent fur for myself. I never do but somehow I just can’t help myself.
My guess is that I am not the only person who finds this interesting about polar bears and I am sure it is a fact that will be shared often next Wednesday, February 27, on International Polar Bear Day.
To celebrate this day, the Louisville Zoo and Bellarmine University are hosting a talk by renowned polar bear scientist Andrew Deroche, Ph.D., and author of “Polar Bears: A Complete Guide to Their Biology and Behavior,” at Bellarmine University’s Frazier Hall at 7:00 p.m. Dr. Deroche’s book will be available in the zoo’s gift shop for $20 before the event. They will also be available at the lecture for a minimum $20 donation to the zoo’s animal conservation fund. Dr. Deroche will be available after the lecture to answer questions and sign copies of his book.
Dr. Deroche, a scientific advisor to Polar Bears International , has worked for many years with polar bears and has studied the effects of climate change and toxic chemicals on polar bears and their habitat. With the rates that the ice is melting in the arctic, polar bears are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change and have become somewhat of a poster species for global warming.
Reservations are not required for this lecture but seating is limited and based on availability.
For more information, visit Louisville Zoo .
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock/outdoorsman
