Where's the White Bear

[dribfunk]

We're having a 'discussion' at work about the existence of white non-albino animals and we're now wondering if, aside from polar bears, is there a breed of bear that is white?

[andy hughes]

Whoop whoop - pedant alert!

Polar bears are not white - their skin is actually black. It's only their fur that is white.

Thanks - carry on .....

[Octavius]

There are 8 breeds of bear apparently (excluding Koala bear which is not really a bear):

Asiatic Black Bears, American Black Bears, Brown Bears, Giant Panda, Polar Bears, Sloth Bears, Spectacled Bears and Sun Bears.

The American black bear can be found in many color phases from black, chocolate brown, cinnamon brown, pale blue (known as glacier bears) to white (known as Kermode bears).

Brown Bears (Grizzly) are usually dark brown in color but can vary from a light cream color to almost black.

http://www.bearbiology.com/specdesc.html

[Rabelais]

Brown bears are occasionally born with white fur as can be seen on good old snopes

http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/whitecub.asp

As for any pedant alert, polar bear fur is not white. It is the fact that it is translucent with a hollow core, it scatters visible light in a similar way to snow and ice thus appearing white.

[andy hughes]

I'll get me coat ....

[dribfunk]

But how does the translucentness (?) work if it's taken out of the white environment?

For instance, if it goes in water or with a green background (such as a zoo) it remains white.

Andy, don't go anywhere yet!

[Octavius]

is it a white one..?

[Octavius]

See here under "fur" for details:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_bear

[JamesEverton]

Andy, I think you'll find that that is not the correct meaning of the word 'pedant'.

[andy hughes]

Thanks Octavius for the clarification - I'll remember that.

Thanks also to JamesEverton for proving that while i am not, in fact, a pedant - he undountedly is! LOL!

[ineedahobby]

Rupert the bear