Citizen of the planet earth.
Day 201.
The weather here in the Chicagoland area can be erratic. One day it’s 38 F, and the wind cuts right through my coat and burrows into my bones. My shoulders creep up to help shield my face from the onslaught of freezing air, and my old back injury sing outs in pain. The tender skin on my ears and nose turns a bright shade of red, and the dry air leaches away their moisture, leaving my skin sore and cracked. As the cold nips and bites at me, I realize that, yes, winter is coming.
Heading to the closet, I’ve begun to unearth clothing that has seen the light of day for the last six months. Just as I unpack my sweaters, scarves, gloves, and boots and try to prepare myself to face the coming months of snow, sleet, ice, and frost, the wind shifts, the sun pops out, and the next day it’s 72 F. (Which means it’s time to sort my coats and donate most of them to the local clothing drive before the temperature falls again)
It has dropped in temperature over the last couple of days, and I have not yet warmed up to the cold. The older I get, the longer it takes my body to adjust to the temperature fluctuations here in the Midwest. Since I feel like I’m in the Arctic, not Illinois (well, today it’s a balmy 45), I thought I’d share some facts about animals more adept at dealing with colder climes. Say hello to the Polar Bears!
Interesting (or fun) facts about Ursus maritimus:
•Never race a polar bear; you will lose! They may look sloth slow but can kick up their heels at rocking 25 mph. Sure, they may be slightly slower than Usain Bolt…but I will not win a race against him either.
•With 42 razor-sharp teeth, this predator is built with quite a bite! They have jagged back teeth and canines larger than a grizzly bear’s chompers.
•Their dinner plate-size paws act as natural snowshoes, allowing them to traverse deep snow and ice.
• They apparently have three eyelids, the polar bear version of snow goggles.
•When it comes to insulation from the cold, the nanuq has four inches of adipose under a thick layer of hallow unpigmented fur.
•Between that layer of furry winter camouflage and fat pads is their black skin, which helps absorb the sun’s rays and warmth.
•Just like my daughters, after they’ve had a blue-raspberry ice treat, a polar bear’s tongue is blue…sometimes purple or black.
Here are some sad facts about Polar Bears and their environment:
Polar bears are adapted over the millennia to their environment or how their environment used to be. With climate change, polar bears rely on sea ice for traversing the open sea to hunt, mate, or find a new den. The ongoing loss of this sea ice habitat has led to many problems for polar bears. They were listed as a threatened species in the US under the Endangered Species Act in May 2008. As their habitat recedes earlier in the spring and forms later in the fall, polar bears spend more time on land and are more likely to come into contact with humans.