Erlend Haarberg's Image

A polar bear cub attempts an underwater surprise attack on a northern fulmar.

In the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, a walrus carcass had attracted a female polar bear and her two cubs.

But one of the cubs was more interested in playing in the water than eating.

The cub was having fun diving under the water and resurfacing, playing with the seaweed and kelp.

The northern fulmar resting on the surface of the water awakened the cub’s desire to hunt.

Erlend watched as it attempted several underwater surprise attacks on the bird, only to fail each time.

Play hunting like this is essential learning for a young bear. Eventually it will have to survive in the Arctic without its mother.