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The "polar bear plunge" where either very dedicated or very masochistic human participants swim in ice cold water to raise money for charity is aptly named. Polar bears with their black skin, thick blubber, and hollow hairs are extremely adept at trapping their body heat and handle their frigid environment with equanimity. In fact, their insulation is so highly-perfected that they are usually invisible under all but the most sophisticated infrared detectors.
These physical attributes explain why polar bears don't mind swimming in icy water. However, I am still baffled by the behavior of our family's English setter when I was growing up. Even without a polar bear physique, one of his greatest joys in mid-winter was to find a pond with a thin layer of ice on it so that he could go crashing through and have a nice invigorating dip.
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