Will I Die If I Eat Polar Bear Liver? Giant Koala Teddy

Whereas this polar bear could simply make a meal out of you, one bite of his liver might be sufficient to send you to the hospital. Liver has lengthy been a staple in many diets. Deep-fried chicken livers are a favourite in parts of the American South. In Japan, you may order a heaping serving to of sashimi made with raw fish liver. As scrumptious (or disgusting) as some of these dishes might sound to you, not each bird, fish or mammal necessarily provides the most effective elements for a culinary masterpiece. Travel to Germany and you can feast on traditional liverwurst. The native peoples of the Arctic have never shied away from cooking koala bear soft toy up some polar bear stew, however they've lengthy recognized to avoid eating the livers of various arctic creatures. The truth is, in the event you ever have the prospect to attempt polar bear liver, suppose twice -- it would be the last meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nonetheless, discovered the onerous means. Perhaps essentially the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling skin. Even the thick pores and skin on the bottoms of a affected person's ft could peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and uncovered. The worst cases ended in liver harm, hemorrhage, coma and loss of life. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a situation resulting from the overconsumption of vitamin A during a brief time period. While milder instances merely concerned flaking around the mouth, some accounts reported cases of full-body skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very similar to those of arctic seals and huskies, incorporates extraordinarily excessive ranges of retinol (the type of vitamin A present in members of the animal kingdom). On the following web page, we'll discover why polar bears carry round a lot vitamin A of their livers and how crucial their retinol tolerance is to their survival. Whereas some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A solely dissolves in fats. As an alternative, it collects within the body's filtration organ, the liver, where it might reach toxic levels. Vitamin A is an important constructing block for a lot of animals. Which means, in contrast to other vitamins, excess vitamin A doesn't exit the body in urine. Humans only require it in very small quantities, however it plays an important role in eyesight, reproduction, fetal development, development, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in humans varies depending on age, gender and physical condition. Without enough vitamin A in your system, you might simply end up facing symptoms just as unhealthy as those associated with hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can lead to dry pores and skin, diarrhea, blindness, progress retardation and even death. We sometimes absorb it by way of the consumption of foods such as spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and numerous meats. In truth, their physiology evolved to tolerate a lot vitamin A for only one reason: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears benefit from maintaining a certain amount of vitamin A of their system, however there's nothing to point they really require such giant quantities. For those who ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd undergo from hypervitaminosis A, however the polar bear can tolerate and enjoy the feast. The seals retailer excessive levels of vitamin A with a view to swiftly grow and nourish their young in a harsh, chilly surroundings. Within the wild, polar bears feed nearly completely on bearded seals and ringed seals, each of which store high ranges of vitamin A in their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A performs a key function in progress and natal growth. So if the blue plate particular at your favourite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you would possibly just want to persist with a salad. The seals depend on this vitamin to quickly advance them by means of their weak pup stages. Discover the hyperlinks on the following page to learn more about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver sometimes incorporates as much vitamin A as 79 to a hundred and fifteen chicken eggs. That award-successful meal is available in at nearly twice the tolerable upper limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does global warming have to do with the decline within the polar bear inhabitants? Brown, Dan. "Vitamin A Toxicity." Cornell College Department of Animal Science. AZA Bear Tag. "Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)." Affiliation of Zoos and Aquariums Standardizes Animal Care Tips. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Harmful(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Education. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. Hicks, R. Marian. "The scientific basis for regarding vitamin A and its analogues as anti-carcinogenic agents." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. International federation of Competitive Consuming. Lintzenich, Barbara, et al. Brookfield Zoo Conservation Biology and Research Middle. Canadian Journal of Zoology. Penniston, Kristina L. and Sherry A. Tanumihardjo. Mos, Lizzy and Peter S. Ross. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The College of Cambridge Dunn Nutritional Laboratory and Medical Analysis Council. Rodahl, K. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.