Polar bear cubs scrap it out in the middle of Alaskan snow storm... but they love each other really

• The lumbering pair's sibling rivalry heats up the frosty winter setting in snow swept Alaska
• American photographer and tour guide, Matthew Studebaker, 30, managed to capture these extraordinary shots
• Extraordinary shots in 25 miles per hour wind on Barrier Islands, Alaska

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

PUBLISHED: 12:19, 31 December 2013 | UPDATED: 15:06, 31 December 2013

Surrounded by a snowstorm, these young polar bears battle the elements - as well as each other.

The lumbering pair's sibling rivalry heats up the frosty winter setting in snow swept Alaska.

American photographer and tour guide, Matthew Studebaker, 30, managed to capture these extraordinary shots in 25 miles per hour wind on Barrier Islands, Alaska, in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Rivalry: Surrounded by a snowstorm, these young polar bears battle the elements - as well as each other. American photographer and tour guide, Matthew Studebaker, 30, managed to capture these extraordinary shots in 25 miles per hour wind on Barrier Islands, Alaska in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Caught on camera: American photographer and tour guide, Matthew Studebaker, 30, managed to capture these extraordinary shots in 25 miles per hour wind on Barrier Islands, Alaska in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

No strangers to the freezing weather, the playful polar bears sparred in temperatures of minus six degrees.

 

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'These siblings were teasing each other and sparring during a snowstorm,' explains Matthew of Richfield, Ohio.

'Throughout my visit to ANWR, they were playing innocently together; they had no intent of seriously hurting each other.

Playful: No strangers to the freezing weather, the playful polar bears sparred in temperatures of minus six degrees

'These siblings were teasing each other and sparring during a snowstorm,' explains Matthew of Richfield, Ohio

'They were tossing sticks, rolling around and sleeping in the snow.

'We spent the day photographing bears 50 - 100 feet away, it seemed that the snowstorm was nothing to them as they just kept on playing together.'

Polar bear cubs are known for being especially playful and play-fighting may be a means of practicing for serious competition during mating seasons later in life.

Only two years old, the bears will spend many months of the year at sea, living in sea iced areas known as the 'Arctic ring of life'.

After an afternoon of sparring, the bears appeared to make up and cuddle with each other, and spend the rest of their day relaxing. 

'My images share my love for the natural world with others,' said Mr Studebaker.

'The reaction I get from my photography generally is that I'm incredibly fortunate to be able to spend so much time in Alaska doing what I love for a living.

'I have a love for minimalism which carries over into my nature photography. 

'Even these huge, ferocious animals are dwarfed in the vast white snow fields on the edge of the Arctic Ocean.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2531657/Polar-bear-cubs-scrap-middle-Alaskan-snow-storm-love-really.html#ixzz2p5QeG0af
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