Ever wanted to know more about some of our favourite winter-loving creatures? By Lauren McKellar
Fact 1: Polar Bear
Did you know that that the fur of a Polar Bear is actually not white? They have a lush thick guard coat, which protects the undercoat, and the hairs in this guard coat are mostly transparent/ see-through. They appear white thanks to an optical illusion, whereby the air spaces in each hair throw colour that is read by our eyes as white. Neat, huh?
Fact 2: Hedgehogs
These cute little critters hibernate during winter, but did you know that they’re one of the most dedicated cool-weather sleepers around? Hedgehogs can sleep almost the whole winter through thanks to their drop in body temperature
Fact 3: Emperor Penguin
These beautiful birds are native to the southern hemisphere, and have a neat trick when it comes to keeping their eggs warm — instead of building a nest, like normal birds, they incubate their egg on top of their feet in a loose fold of skin. This area is featherless and packed with blood vessels to help keep the egg warm until hatching time.
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