Polar bears have clear hair shafts which appear white because they reflect light.
The coats of two bears at the Singapore Zoo have turned green due to a harmless algae growing in the hollow hair shafts,
a result of Singapore's warm and humid climate.Sheba's coat was successfully bleached with hydrogen peroxide 2 1/2 weeks ago and Inuka will be given a similar treatment in 3 weeks, giving the zoo time to observe Sheba's reaction to the treatment. For now, Inuka remains mottled with bright grass-colored splotches behind his ears, on his back and on his legs.
Three polar bears at the San Diego Zoo developed similarly green coats in 1979 but were cured with a salt solution, according to the Web site of Polar Bears International.
