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

Whereas this polar bear could simply make a meal out of you, one chew of his liver could possibly be enough to send you to the hospital. Liver has long been a staple in many diets. Deep-fried rooster livers are a favorite in elements of the American South. In Japan, you possibly can order a heaping serving to of sashimi made with uncooked fish liver. As scrumptious (or disgusting) as a few of these dishes might sound to you, not each chook, fish or mammal essentially affords the best ingredients for a culinary masterpiece. Journey to Germany and you may feast on conventional liverwurst. The native peoples of the Arctic have never shied away from cooking up some polar bear stew, however they've long recognized to keep away from eating the livers of varied arctic creatures. In reality, when you ever have the possibility to strive polar bear liver, think twice -- it could be the last meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nevertheless, realized the hard way. Perhaps essentially the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling pores and skin. Even the thick skin on the bottoms of a patient's ft might peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and exposed. The worst cases ended in liver damage, hemorrhage, coma and demise. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a condition resulting from the overconsumption of vitamin A throughout a brief time frame. While milder circumstances merely concerned flaking around the mouth, some accounts reported instances of full-body pores and skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very like these of arctic seals and huskies, incorporates extremely excessive levels of retinol (the form of vitamin A found in members of the animal kingdom). On the next 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 only dissolves in fat. As a substitute, it collects within the body's filtration organ, the liver, the place giant koala teddy it can reach toxic levels. Vitamin A is a vital building block for a lot of animals. This means that, not like other vitamins, excess vitamin A would not exit the physique in urine. Humans only require it in very small amounts, but it surely performs an important position in eyesight, reproduction, fetal growth, growth, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in people varies depending on age, gender and bodily situation. With out sufficient vitamin A in your system, you can easily find yourself dealing with signs just as bad as these related to hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can result in dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, progress retardation and even death. We sometimes absorb it by the consumption of foods such as spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and numerous meats. The truth is, their physiology evolved to tolerate a lot vitamin A for just one reason: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears benefit from keeping a certain quantity of vitamin A of their system, but there's nothing to point they really require such giant portions. In case you ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd undergo from hypervitaminosis A, but the polar bear can tolerate and benefit from the feast. The seals retailer excessive levels of vitamin A in order to swiftly develop and nourish their young in a harsh, chilly atmosphere. In the wild, polar bears feed nearly solely on bearded seals and ringed seals, both of which retailer high ranges of vitamin A of their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A performs a key position in progress and natal development. So if the blue plate special at your favourite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you would possibly just wish to stick with a salad. The seals rely on this vitamin to quickly advance them via their vulnerable pup levels. Discover the hyperlinks on the subsequent web page to be taught more about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver sometimes incorporates as much vitamin A as seventy nine to a hundred and fifteen rooster eggs. That award-successful meal comes in at almost twice the tolerable upper limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does global warming have to do with the decline in the polar bear inhabitants? Brown, Dan. "Vitamin A Toxicity." Cornell College Division of Animal Science. AZA Bear Tag. "Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)." Affiliation of Zoos and Aquariums Standardizes Animal Care Guidelines. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Harmful(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Training. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State College. Hicks, R. Marian. "The scientific basis for relating to vitamin A and its analogues as anti-carcinogenic brokers." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. Worldwide federation of Aggressive Eating. Lintzenich, Barbara, et al. Brookfield Zoo Conservation Biology and Analysis Center. Canadian Journal of Zoology. Penniston, Kristina L. and Sherry A. Tanumihardjo. Mos, Lizzy and Peter S. Ross. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The University of Cambridge Dunn Nutritional Laboratory and Medical Analysis Council. Rodahl, K. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.