Will I Die If I Eat Polar Bear Liver? Big Teddy Bear Shop Near Me

Whereas this polar bear might easily make a meal out of you, one bite of his liver might be enough to send you to the hospital. Liver has long been a staple in many diets. Deep-fried rooster livers are a favourite in components of the American South. In Japan, you'll be able to order a heaping serving to of sashimi made with raw fish liver. As delicious (or disgusting) as a few of these dishes might sound to you, not every fowl, fish or mammal essentially presents the very best elements for a culinary masterpiece. Travel to Germany and you'll feast on conventional liverwurst. The native peoples of the Arctic have never shied away from cooking up some polar bear stew, but they've lengthy identified to keep away from consuming the livers of assorted arctic creatures. Actually, when you ever have the chance to strive polar bear liver, think twice -- it will be the final meal you ever eat. Western explorers, nonetheless, learned the arduous approach. Maybe probably the most horrific symptom they encountered was peeling skin. Even the thick pores and skin on the bottoms of a affected person's feet may peel away, leaving the underlying flesh bloody and exposed. The worst cases ended in liver injury, hemorrhage, coma and loss of life. These explorers suffered from acute hypervitaminosis A, a situation resulting from the overconsumption of vitamin A throughout a brief time period. Whereas milder instances merely concerned flaking across the mouth, some accounts reported cases of full-physique skin loss. The polar bear's liver, very like those of arctic seals and huskies, incorporates extremely high ranges of retinol (the type of vitamin A present in members of the animal kingdom). On the subsequent web page, we'll discover why polar bears carry round so much vitamin A in their livers and the way essential their retinol tolerance is to their survival. While some vitamins dissolve in water, vitamin A solely dissolves in fats. As an alternative, it collects within the body's filtration organ, the liver, the place it will probably attain toxic levels. Vitamin A is an important building block for many animals. Because of this, not like other vitamins, excess vitamin A would not exit the physique in urine. People only require it in very small quantities, but it plays a significant role in eyesight, reproduction, fetal development, growth, immune response and the cellular formation of tissue. Vitamin A tolerability in humans varies relying on age, gender and bodily situation. Without enough vitamin A in your system, you possibly can easily end up facing signs simply as bad as these associated with hypervitaminosis A. Deficiencies can lead to dry skin, diarrhea, blindness, progress retardation and even loss of life. We typically absorb it through the consumption of foods resembling spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk and various meats. The truth is, their physiology advanced to tolerate a lot vitamin A for only one reason: to eat seals. Like many animals, polar bears benefit from preserving a certain quantity of vitamin A of their system, but there's nothing to indicate they really require such large portions. In the event you ate a bearded seal's liver, you'd endure from hypervitaminosis A, however the polar bear can tolerate and enjoy the feast. The seals store excessive ranges of vitamin A as a way to swiftly develop and nourish their young in a harsh, chilly surroundings. Within the wild, polar bears feed virtually exclusively on bearded seals and ringed seals, each of which store excessive peter rabbit teddy bear levels of vitamin A of their livers and blubber. Remember, vitamin A performs a key role in growth and natal growth. So if the blue plate special at your favourite diner is ever sautéed polar bear liver, you would possibly just wish to stick to a salad. The seals rely on this vitamin to quickly advance them via their weak pup stages. Explore the links on the subsequent web page to study extra about vitamin A and polar bear liver. One polar bear liver sometimes comprises as a lot vitamin A as seventy nine to 115 hen eggs. That award-profitable meal comes in at practically twice the tolerable higher limits of human vitamin A consumption. What does international 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)." Association of Zoos and Aquariums Standardizes Animal Care Tips. Eliasen, Mogens. "The Harmful(?) Vitamin A." K9joy Schooling. Higdon, Jane. "Vitamin A." Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State College. Hicks, R. Marian. "The scientific foundation for concerning vitamin A and its analogues as anti-carcinogenic brokers." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. International federation of Aggressive Consuming. Lintzenich, Barbara, et al. Brookfield Zoo Conservation Biology and Analysis 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 University of Cambridge Dunn Nutritional Laboratory and Medical Research Council. Rodahl, K. and T. Moore. Slaughter, Kip. E-mail interview.