SURROUNDED by a snowstorm, these young polar bears battle the elements - as well as each other. The lumbering pair's sibling rivalry heats up the frosty winter setting in snow swept Alaska. American photographer and tour guide, Matthew Studebaker, 30, managed to capture these extraordinary shots in 25 miles per hour wind on Barrier Islands, Alaska in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. No strangers to the freezing weather, the playful polar bears sparred in temperatures of minus six degrees. "These siblings were teasing each other and sparring during a snowstorm," explains Matthew of Richfield, Ohio.
A project to create an underwater tribute to the stone Moai statues of Easter Island ended in disaster when 15 replica structures were destroyed after toppling from a boat and into the sea .
BEHIND the doors of this building, with its stacks of mattresses and discarded remains of wheelchairs, lies another victim of austerity cuts .
A pair of adorable polar bear cubs play-fight with each other in the Alaskan snow .
Like a scene from a fairytale, THOUSANDS of fireflies create an enchanting glow as they dance in a forest .
RAISING his flipper, this two day old seal pup gives a wave to the camera .
A frilled lizard appears to be belting out a tune as it sits in a tree with its mouth open wide .
A TEN-THOUSAND square foot wide Avatar-style grove is such a beauty it will leave you feeling VINE .
Surveying its surroundings, a tiny harvest mouse climbs the stem of a dandelion .
MOUTH OPEN wide, this little stoat appears to be in mid-song as he belts out a tune for his onlookers .
This may look like a monster car engine that will leave petrol heads in a spin, but it is in fact a rather snazzy looking COFFEE MACHINE .
