Dancing on ice: Young polar bear caught on camera strutting his stuff with his friend as they enjoy play time

Young bear appeared to be pulling shapes on the ice before being joined for a dance by a friend



But he was actually using his paws as a counter-balance while stretching to view the landscape

Images were taken by wildlife photographer Steven Kazlowski on Bernard Split in eastern Alaska




This polar bear seems to be having a rip-roaring good time throwing his best shapes on the Alaskan ice.

The young bear balanced on one leg and waved a paw in the air, before being joined for a twirl by a friend.



The images were captured by wildlife photographer Steven Kazlowski, 44, on Bernard Spit, a barrier island along the eastern Alaskan arctic coast.

Nice moves: While the bear appears to be disco dancing, it is actually standing on his hind legs to get a better look at his surroundings. The bear uses its front paws to counter its weight and get into a comfortable stance

The images were captured by wildlife photographer Steven Kazlowski, on Bernard Spit, a barrier island along the eastern Alaskan arctic coast

Photographer Steven Kazlowski said a big part of a young polar bear's life is to play - they appear to fully enjoy it just as people do.

'I'm always amazed to watch polar bears, and always feel very lucky to have the opportunity to watch them in their natural habitat,' Lazlowski said.

'When they actually do things of their own accord to make for a better picture, it makes it all the more amazing'.

He added: 'A big part of a young polar bear's life is to play - they appear to fully enjoy it just as people do.'

While the bear appears to be disco dancing, it is actually standing on his hind legs to get a better look at his surroundings, using its front paws to counter its weight and get into a comfortable stance.

Pulling shapes: The young bear spent a long time standing on one leg and waving its paws in the air before being joined for a dance by a friend

Adult males, known as boars, weigh around 770 to 1,540 lb while sows are around half that size. Steven Kazlowski estimated these bears to be around 400 to 600lbs

Although most polar bears are born on land, they spend most of their time at sea, with their scientific name ursus maritimus meaning 'maritime bear'

The bears, estimated by Kazlowski to be between 400-600lbs each, strut their stuff on Bernard Spit, an island owned by the Inupiaq people of the Barter Island area, who use it for fishing, hunting and camping.

Adult males, known as boars, weigh around 770–1,540 lb while sows are around half that size.

The barrier islands are long stretches of islands that separate parts of the Arctic ocean from the coastline off the North Slope of Alaska.

Polar bears are a common sight in the region, where there are often found in land masses close to large expanses of water.

Although the polar bear it is the sister species of the brown bear, it has evolved to occupy a narrower ecological niche, with many body characteristics adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice, and open water, and for hunting the seals which make up most of its diet.