Anti-icing properties of polar bear fur
The polar bear (<i>Ursus maritimus</i>) is the only Arctic land mammal that dives into water to hunt. Despite thermal insulation provided by blubber and fur layers and low Arctic temperatures, their fur is typically observed to be free of ice. This study investigates the anti-icing properties of polar bear fur. Here, we show that polar bear fur exhibits low ice adhesion strengths comparable to fluorocarbon-coated fibers, with the low ice adhesion a consequence of the fur sebum (hair grease). Lipid analyses reveal the presence of cholesterol, diacylglycerols, anteisomethyl-branched fatty acids, and the unexpected absence of squalene. Quantum chemical calculations predict low ice adsorption energies for identified lipids and high adsorption for squalene, suggesting that sebum composition is responsible for the observed anti-icing properties. Our work enhances understanding of polar bears and their interactions with their environment and builds on Inuit knowledge of natural anti-icing materials.
Authors
- Espen W. Selfors (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7570-3631)
- Martin Jakubec (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6180-6900)
- Julian Carolan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1806-0605)
- Marco Sacchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2904-2506)
- Richard G. Hobbs
- Manish Kumar Tiwari (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5143-6881)
- Bodil Holst (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6809-2579)
- Shane S. O’Reilly (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6303-4329)
- Jon Aars (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0574-6712)
- Paula E. Colavita (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1008-2874)
- Ersilia Bifulco
- Øyvind Halskau (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2517-1060)
- Neubi Francisco Xavier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2133-0557)
- Anne Lisbeth Schmidt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6572-4171)
- Marc Brunet Cabré (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4996-0913)
- Magnus Andersen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7024-5466)
- Vikramjeet Singh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3673-5266)
- Adam Pestana Motala (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9146-8011)
Institutions
- Trinity College Dublin (IE)
- University of Surrey (GB)
- Futures Group (United States) (US)
- Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research (IE)
- National Museum of Denmark (DK)
- University of Bergen (NO)
- University College London (GB)
- UiT The Arctic University of Norway (NO)
- Institute of Technology Sligo (IE)
- Norwegian Polar Institute (NO)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science Advances
- Published
- 2025-01-29
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ads7321
- Citations
- 11
- Primary Topic
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 18.88