News Animals

Here’s how polar bears might get traction on snow

Tiny protrusions on the bears’ paws offer greater friction

One polar bear stands and holds its paws up, while another walks along sea ice

Polar bears (two pictured) can walk easily across slippery surfaces.

Brian McMahon/Unsplash

By Meghan Rosen

Tiny “fingers” can help polar bears get a grip.

Like the rubbery nubs on the bottom of baby socks, microstructures on the bears’ paw pads offer some extra friction, scientists report November 1 in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface. The pad protrusions may keep polar bears from slipping on snow, says Ali Dhinojwala, a polymer scientist at the University of Akron in Ohio who has also studied the