Handbags at dawn: Polar bears battle it out in spectacular morning sunlight

A polar bear received a frosty reception after it wandered into the territory of a hot headed rival.

The polar bears wrestle on another amongst a stunning sunrise

Captured fighting in the snow, the pair seemed to literally see red as they wrestled amongst the rays of a spectacular morning sunrise.

One of the bears stands up on its hind legs in an attempt to display its dominance

Pictured with glowing pink chests, the brawling bears are seen clawing at each other’s bodies and bear-ing their fangs in an attempt to display their dominance.

The polar bears scratch and claw at their rival’s chest

Taken by Alexey Tishchenko, the Russia wildlife photographer couldn’t believe his eyes when the fight erupted, seemingly without warning on the shore of the Hudson Bay, Canada.

The stunning images show a pinkish hue reflecting off the fur of the huge beasts

Alexey then spent the next ten minutes watching the two half-a-ton beasts crash into one another as the sun’s rays reflected off their fur.

Alexey said: “I couldn’t believe my eyes because it was such a strange sight as the sun light on the bear’s fur made it look like they were red with anger towards each other.

“A lot of the time capturing shots like this is a matter of being in the right place at the right time and luckily for me I was there with my camera ready to shoot.

“It’s quite surreal to see the pictures now because the reddish lighting makes them look particularly arty.

“They are incredibly strong animals, I don’t think the rival had it in him to finish the fight and eventually wandered off.”