WEll, I got all excited and called the Serious Fisherman, but he is gone "Product
Testing" I tried the Site Sean referred to but they are in Iceland, so I think
Importing would be a no no. Any other sources where I can Call and order or buy online
would be great. Thanks
I found this about Polar Bear AS well.
First the facts. Polar bear fur appears white because it reflects all wavelengths of
visible light. However, polar bear fur does not reflect ultraviolet (UV) light, but
absorbs it so well that the animal appears black when photographed with UV-sensitive
film. Add to these facts the observations that the hairs of polar bears are hollow and
that polar bear skin is black, and a tantalizing speculation can be posited: polar
bears channel ultraviolet light through their hollow hairs to their black skin thereby
warming the animal in the Arctic cold. The efficiency is such that no UV light is lost
to the environment � polar bear hair thus possesses superior fiber optic properties.
This example of nature's wonders soon attracted public attention. In response, one
investigator, Daniel W. Koon of St. Lawrence University, transmitted different
wavelengths of light lengthwise through polar bear hair and reached a much different
conclusion. He found losses of 99.999% for red light travelling one inch (2.54
centimeters), and the same loss for UV light travelling just one-fifth of an inch.
Rather than the hair acting as a light pipe transporting UV energy to the bear's skin,
it was found that the hair's protein component, keratin, absorbed almost all of the
incident UV radiation.
The original observations, nevertheless, still stand. Polar bear hairs (along with
keratin-containing hairs from other mammals, including humans) absorb UV light, and
polar bear hairs are hollow. What these findings do challenge is the conjecture that
the hollow hairs of the polar bear act as effective light transmitting devices.
Have you gotten your free email at fishing.com or flyfishing.com? I got mine, come
get yours! Visit www.fishing.com or www.flyfishing.com to sign up!
