KINGDOM OF THE ICE BEAR

Powerful and ruthless, but playful and tender, the polar bears of Svalbard are as complex as they are beautiful, says photographer Florian Ledoux

- JOE PONTIN

Frozen playground

Around 3,000 polar bears live in the Barents Sea area, including Svalbard, midway between northern Norway and the North Pole. Bear encounters are often friendly. When these two young adults met, they played happily for five hours, including - according to Florian - 'skating' together on stretches of freshly frozen, smooth grey ice.

Family foraging

A female searches for prey to sustain her family. Cubs eat solid food from the age of three months, but mothers continue breastfeeding for another 16 months or more. Despite their efforts, Svalbard cubs have only a 35 per cent chance of surviving for two years.

Bigfoot trail

Adult males are roughly twice the weight of a grizzly bear and leave huge prints. Up to 30cm in diameter, their paws act like snowshoes, spreading the weight evenly over treacherous ice. "Late in May the ice is rotten so you get an even bigger footprint," says Florian.

A moment of peace

High on the mountain, two polar bears slumber after mating, a moment "so moving it brought tears to my eyes," says Florian. During courtship, the male may be domineering, excited and overheated, with frozen drool around his mouth; but sometimes the male is shy and the female takes the lead.

Waiting game