# Polar Bears **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 12, 2000, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254 "2000-01-12T15:20:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ruggles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4491bb/32.png) [@Ruggles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruggles)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2000, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254/1 "2000-01-12T15:20:00Z")
I’ve received several e-mails with the subject line Useless information. The one “fact” that stands out the most is the claim that Polar Bears are “left handed.” Any ideas on if that is true? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2000, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254/2 "2000-01-12T15:25:00Z")
Why not go up there ,try to shake hands,and find out? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2000, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254/3 "2000-01-12T15:32:00Z")
I hope im right on this one… but I have no proof other than my own opinion. It could be that research showed them to have predominantly left-large brains, leading to being lefthanded. (I wonder if that also makes them any good at art?) also-another few facts about polar bears -underneath the fur the skin is black -polar bears only attack the last person in a line ---
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2000, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254/4 "2000-01-12T15:40:00Z")
I don’t want to get drawn into this discussion (although I suspect the claim is spurious) but I will point out that in humans, at least, the right side of the brain provides control of the left side of the body and vice versa. * * * That’ll do, pig. That’ll do. ---
**Author:** ![TomH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/90db22/32.png) [@TomH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TomH)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2000, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254/5 "2000-01-13T13:46:00Z")
A polite polar bear would always shake hands with his right hand, even if he were left handed. You really need to see a sample of their handwriting: does it seem to slope to the left slightly? If so, they may be left-handed. Alternatively, give them two corkscrews, one with a clockwise and one with an anticlockwise thread. See which one they find it easier to use. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2000, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254/6 "2000-01-13T14:13:00Z")
_Slightly off-topic:_ Y’know those Coca-Cola commercials with the polar bear and her cubs doing cutesy things? There’s one in particular where a cub loses the little ball he’s playing with, then a seal retrieves it and they’re best of friends. Just once, I’d like to see mama bear attack the seal like she would if she were a real bear. 🙂 * * * The Canadians. They walk among us. William Shatner. Michael J. Fox. Monty Hall. Mike Meyers. Alex Trebek. All of them Canadians. All of them here. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2000, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254/7 "2000-01-13T14:53:00Z")
Polar bears do not have hands. * * * Designated Optional Signature at Bottom of Post ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2000, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254/8 "2000-01-14T02:39:00Z")
Polar bears are white grizzlys. Peace, mangeorge * * * Wow, 00, I made it! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Stephen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@Stephen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephen)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2000, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254/9 "2000-01-14T02:45:00Z")
A polar bear is an ordinary bear put through coordinate transform. * * * Stephen [Stephen’s Website](http://stephen.fathom.org) Satellite Hunting 1.1.0 visible satellite pass prediction shareware available for download at [Satellite Hunting](http://stephen.fathom.org/sathunt.html) ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2000, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254/10 "2000-01-14T03:01:00Z")
If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the precipitate. ---
**Author:** ![Lawrence](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@Lawrence](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lawrence)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2000, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254/11 "2000-01-14T03:21:00Z")
A non-newbie but technologically challenged question: How is it that you guys know how many times you have posted? (Specifically directed at mangeorge but generally directed at all posters.) I assume you just click on something but I don’t know what you click on. ---
**Author:** ![aseymayo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@aseymayo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aseymayo)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2000, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254/12 "2000-01-14T05:44:00Z")
Lawrence - click on the little white rectangle with the question mark up there with the “posted” date and time. (I think Mangeorge can’t believe he made it to 00 the year, rather than number of posts. I know how he feels. I realized the other day that if I live to be 100, it would be 2056 - that sort of blew my mind.) ---
**Author:** ![NanoByte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecc23a/32.png) [@NanoByte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NanoByte)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2000, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254/13 "2000-01-14T06:58:00Z")
But I claim the polar bears at the **South** Pole are **right** -handed. Show me one that isn’t. Ray ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254/14 "2000-01-15T00:20:00Z")
## “I think Mangeorge can’t believe he made it to 00 the year” ## You got it, aseymayo. I’ve wondered if I’d make it ever since I was a teenager, fer crissakes. Baby, I’m amazed. (Born 1945) Peace, mangeorge I only know two things; I know what I need to know And I know what I want to know Mangeorge, 2000 ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254/15 "2000-01-15T01:10:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by AWB II: > \*\*_Slightly off-topic:_ > > Y’know those Coca-Cola commercials with the polar bear and her cubs doing cutesy things? There’s one in particular where a cub loses the little ball he’s playing with, then a seal retrieves it and they’re best of friends. Just once, I’d like to see mama bear attack the seal like she would if she were a real bear. 🙂 > > \*\* ``` Real Bear???? Those bears are not bears, they're bytes. They exist only in the world of pure CG...... Nicely rendered,,but they're not bears. Go to the Central Park Zoo, you wanna see the real McCoy- UP CLOSE and underwater. Too cool, and very powerful ``` Cartooniverse " If you want to kiss the sky, you’d better learn how to kneel. " ---
**Author:** ![APB9999](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB9999](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB9999)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254/16 "2000-01-15T02:38:00Z")
What would constitute being “handed” for a bear? I suppose when they bite into a seal carcass they probably hold it down with a paw; perhaps there’s a tendency to do this predominantly with one paw. I suppose it’s possible they would usually be left-pawed, just as humans are usually right-handed. I guess the larger issue is why handedness exists at all? I can understand why it would be advantageous to an individual to have a dominant hand, but why would _which_ hand was dominant become selected for on the population level? In other words, why aren’t lefties about 50% of the population? Assuming for a minute the thing about polar bears is true, why would they be lefties? A side thought. I’ve asked this here before but never got a serious answer. Do squid and/or octopi favor a dominant tentacle? ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254/17 "2000-01-15T14:49:00Z")
- - - I had a book somewhere that addressed the question of “handedness” in animals. It didn’t say anything about polar bears, but it _did_ note the facts about pig’s wankers. It even includes general success rates of “cross-threaded” pigs as opposed to , uh, well hell, you oughta know. Anyway, if which hemisphere you are concieved/carried in detirmines which “hand” you become, and all polar bears live in (mostly) the same place, then it’s not going too far out on a limb to guess that they are all the same “handedness”. I kinda doubt anyone has checked every one. Whoever came up with this claim probably just watched some nature films and played the averages. Note #1: - All polar bears ain’t up there anymore; some have been born in zoos. Another grand theory, right down the toilet, and don’t ask which way. Note #2: - Due to relatively “localized” conditions, a significant amount of inbreeding may have taken place in the past and this may have had some effect. I have heard of this in Cheetahs, but not polar bears. I do not know which “handedness” cheetahs are, so don’t ask. - MC ---
**Author:** ![pooh1331](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@pooh1331](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pooh1331)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2000, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254/18 "2000-01-15T15:45:00Z")
APB9999 is on the right track here. studies show that "handedness"in animals pertains to which hand/paw they use to perform tasks. in this case, holding down a dead animal, batting at a live one etc is done with the left paw in polar bears. now speaking from a probability standpoint, i’m not sure i buy that ALL of them are. i’m sure there is quite a polar bear population existing who hasn’t been observed. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2000, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254/19 "2000-01-16T03:44:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Lawrence: > \*\*A non-newbie but technologically challenged question: How is it that you guys know how many times you have posted? (Specifically directed at mangeorge but generally directed at > > all posters.) I assume you just click on something but I don’t know what you click on.\*\* ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears/6254/20 "2000-01-17T06:55:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Real Bear??? Those bears are not bears, they’re bytes. They exist only in the world of pure CG… Nicely rendered,but they’re not bears. Um… no shit? Was this ever in question? HELLO? Note the final sentence of the post: _Just once, I’d like to see mama bear attack the seal like she would **if she were a real bear**._ As for the number of posts thing, in the first line of every post you see this symbol: \ … click on that. * * * – Teeming Millions: [http://fathom.org/teemingmillions](http://fathom.org/teemingmillions) “Meat flaps, yellow!” - DrainBead, naked co-ed Twister chat O p a l C a t [www.opalcat.com](http://www.opalcat.com)