Smelly Feet

Polar bears have huge feet which act as snowshoes distributing their heavy weight when they walk over ice fields. Pads on their feet are covered in tiny papillae or bumps that also help their grip on the ice.

But here’s another interesting fact only recently discovered. Polar bears have feet that smell and leave a stinky trail as they walk.

Many animals mark their territory. It may be that this chemical trail is the polar bears way of marking its territory or as scientists have observed bears smelling theses trails, it could be their way of finding a bear of the opposite sex for mating.

As climate change increases the melting of the arctic ice, this may be yet cause more problems for polar bear populations.