Sparring male polar bears. Sailing close to the ice edge north of Svalbard we had found a sperm whale carcass embedded in the ice. A single male polar bear was on the carcass but was having trouble penetrating through the tough skin. In the distance we could see another male bear heading towards the carcass. On seeing the interloper, the bear on the carcass headed off towards the incomer and we anticipated there would be a showdown over which bear would be dominant and which would have to wait its time. There was lots of sparring but no real fight and it was the interloper who established his dominance and headed off towards the carcass with a leap between ice floes. The subservient male just lay down and bided his time. So good to see sparring male polar bears in the silence of the pack ice.
Filming this interaction was a challenge. Our ship was drifting in the current and there was a significant swell. This made for a rather unstable platform for filming. This was exacerbated by the distance between the ship and the bears.
Key words: Arctic, Svalbard, Norway, expedition, voyage, pack ice, ice, floe, sea, swell, wildlife, nature, animals,Polar Bear, Ice bear, bear, sparring