English Documentary on Polar Bears with Transcript

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1. Polar bears are not white
   Polar bears’ fur is not white. The fur is actually transparent; It consists of two layers of transparent hair: a soft, thick undercoat and a layer of hallow guard hair. The layers only appear white because the air spaces in each hair, scatter all visible wavelengths of light. Underneath this fur, polar bears have black skin. Sunlight can penetrate the bear’s transparent fur and reach its black skin, which absorbs the sun’s heat and warms the bear’s body.

   Strong swimmers
   Polar bears are excellent swimmers. They’ve evolved to have a narrow skull and a long, flexible neck, which are believed to help streamline their bodies in the water and provide the reach and the flexibility they need, to bring their noses up for air. Their front paws are large, up to 12 inches wide, flat and act as paddles as the bears swim, and even hunt marine animals while underwater. Additionally, the bears have a 2-to-4-inch layer of fat that help keep them buoyant and warm, as they swim.

   Cute but humongous
   Polar bears are the largest land carnivore. They may grow up to eight feet tall and weigh up to 1760 pounds, far outweighing the next largest land predator, the Kodiak brown bear, by several hundreds of pounds. This hefty size allows polar bears to hunt large powerful animals like walruses and beluga whales. Because of their tremendous size, polar bears have no natural predators, apart from humans.

   Polar bear habitat
   Polar bears only live in the Arctic. This region includes areas of Russia, Greenland, Norway and the United States. However, up to 80% of the world’s polar bears live in one country: Canada. Polar bears may traverse islands and coastlines, but most of the time, the bears live directly on sea ice that can be found between land masses. However, as climate change is causing sea ice to recede, polar bears are beginning to make their way further inland to find food.

   Not endangered yet
   Polar bears are not endangered for now. Between 22,000 and 31,000 polar bears are in the wild, but their populations may be at risk in the future. Climate change and rising ocean temperatures are causing sea ice, the polar bear’s hunting grounds, to melt more rapidly and for longer periods of time. This may play a role in a projected 30% population decrease by 2050.
   Life on top of the world comes with many challenges, but with translucent fur, strong swimming capabilities and considerable body size, polar bears have become well adapted to life in the wintry North.

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   • Thank you so much for your transcription.
     The only minor error I could detect is listed as below:
     In the paragraph under the heading of “Strong swimmers”, the verb “help” changes to “helps” as its subject is “layer of fat”.

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