Polar Bears At Play Before Winter Ice Sets In
BARTER ISLAND, AK – UNDATED: EXCLUSIVE A polar bear mother and her cub play on Barter Island, Alaska. Meet the polar bear water babies who make the most of their final splash in the sea before the ice sets in. In a matter of weeks or even days the water could be transformed to ice before the bears head north to begin their search for food. Just like human revellers who seized their last chance to sun themselves at Brighton Beach just weeks ago, over 20 mother and baby polar bears “cool” down on a three degree Celsius beach at the end of an Arctic Indian Summer. The temperatures in the arctic this year were unusually warm – with scientists recording the greatest ice melt in modern history. Because of their huge reserves of fat and dense fur temperatures that would be lethal to humans – can seem balmy to polar bears. In one amusing shot a mother bear gently patted the head of her two year-old baby as if encouraging it into the water. Wildlife photographer, Jon Cornforth, 39, from Seattle was lucky enough to capture the heart warming sight while guiding a group of photography students in Martyr Island in north Alaska. “This is their time to play before the ice comes and they have to start seriously looking for food.” During the frozen arctic winter polar bears hunt seals, which form their main food source. (Photo by Jon Cornforth / Barcroft Media / Getty Images)