A pair of bears demonstrated their frightening power as they playfully fought one another beneath a waterfall in Alaska.
Photographer Glen R Alsworth, Jr, 43, was visiting Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park and Reserve when he captured the two bears exchanging playful blows.
Glen says that although the bears look aggressive in some shots that this only lasted 30 seconds before they continued to play fight for 15 minutes.
The duo can be seen locking jaws and trying to push one another over with their giant paws.
A pair of bears demonstrated their frightening power as they playfully fought one another beneath a waterfall in Alaska
Photographer Glen R Alsworth, Jr, 43, was visiting Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park and Reserve when he captured the two bears exchanging playful blows
Glen says that although the bears look aggressive in some shots that this only lasted 30 seconds before they continued to play fight for 15 minutes, before sharing a tender nose rub
The two Alaska brown bears had been munching away on salmon before they had erupted into a mock fight.
Glen said: ‘They encountered each other in the river while searching for more fish and began to interact.
‘The play turned more aggressive and turned into a legitimate fight, most likely due to one bear getting carried away and biting too hard while playing.
‘The wrestling and play lasted for about 15 minutes, the actual fight for about 30 seconds. Both bears calmed back into a more playful mode after the 30 seconds of aggressive fighting.’
The duelling bears are seen sloshing around in the waist-deep Alaskan waters as they playfully pushed and shoved each other
For 15 minutes, the two brown bears engaged in a fierce play fight, sending huge splashes of water flying into the air as they crashed around in the water
On more than one occasion the bears were seen to even lock their jaws together as they battled for mock supremacy
The photographer said he had been sat just 10 metres away from the bears when he captured them with his camera.
He said: ‘This is one of the only locations I shoot from where there is actually a structure to stand on while shooting. The bears knew we were there but paid no attention to us.
‘I love to photograph bears because each animal has its own personality. Brown bears are an entertaining mix of brute strength, curiosity, and comical behaviour all wrapped up in fur, claws, and teeth.’
Both bears gave as good as they got as they duelled it out in the freezing Alaskan waters. The fight was witnessed just moments after the pair had met while hunting for salmon
Not afraid to get wet, one bear adopts a lower stance to avoid a powerful lunge from their opponent and ducks their head to the side
With both bears filled with energy after having feasted on fresh salmon from the icy waters, neither play fighter wants to walk away the loser of this bout