Z927/0132 Rights Managed
This image is part of the feature A Close Look At Hair
Credit: POWER AND SYRED/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Caption: Polar bear insulating hair. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a cross-section through a shaft of an insulating hair from a polar bear (Ursus maritimus). This has revealed the hollow structure of the hair that gives it its insulating properties. The hollow in the centre of the hair contains air, which is not a good conductor of heat. This insulates the polar bear from the extreme cold of its Arctic habitat. The air also helps to prevent the hair matting, which helps the polar bear shake itself dry. The hair is also oily to repel water. Insulating hair forms a coarse outer hair layer over underhair (Z927/133). Magnification: x375 when printed 10cm wide.
Release details: Model release not required. Property release not required.
Keywords: adaptation, air, animal, arctic, coarse, cold, coloured, cross-section, cut, fur, hair, hairs, hollow, inside, insulating, insulation, interior, mammal, nature, overhair, polar bear, scanning electron micrograph, section, sectioned, sem, shaft, temperature, thermal, ursine, ursus maritimus, wildlife, zoology
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