Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

My boys and I did the blubber experiment and are currently putting the display together. According to the definition, whales and some other sea mammals have blubber, but some books reference polar bears as having blubber. What is the correct answer? Thank you in advance for expert replies.

Hello!
What an interesting topic!

Here is a quote I found from an article on the PBS sponsored website below:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes ... heet/7053/

"Underneath their fur, polar bears have black skin which absorbs the heat of the sun, and below the skin is a thick, 4-inch layer of blubber. This blubber layer is particularly beneficial while polar bears swim, keeping them warm in the cold water and increasing buoyancy."
I recommend reading the rest of the article if you are looking for more information specific to polar bears.

Have fun and good luck!
Lily

The answer is that sea mammals do have blubber ( which you found out) and so do polar bears. Their black skin does help keep them warm but it works best when the sun is shinning. When the sun doesn't shine then they rely on their blubber to keep their body temperature as close to normal as possible. Hope this helps you and your students out.