- French photographer Florian Ledoux, 28, captured photographs of a polar bear from above with his drone
- The giant white beast can be seen trekking across a vast archipelago of ice islands in the far Canadian north
- Rising temperatures have transformed the area – inside the Arctic Circle – into a land of lagoons and streams
- Arctic-obsessed snapper Florian – who lives in Iceland – could not resist sending a drone to spot polar bears
These spectacular photographs show a huge polar bear jumping and sprinting across treacherous islands of ice in the far north of Canada.
The majestic beast can be seen blending into the white, barren landscape as it hunts for its next meal among the melting surroundings.
Rising temperatures have transformed the area into a land of lagoons and streams as giant blocks of ice break apart to create ever-shifting archipelagos.
The magical shots were taken by Florian Ledoux, a 28-year-old photographer.
He was flying over Baffin Island in the province of Nunavut, which is in the extreme north of Canada and well inside the Arctic Circle.
Mr Ledoux was on a sailing expedition around the Arctic when he spotted the giant bear.
Needle in a haystack: The polar bear can be seen – if you have a good look – on a large island of ice on Baffin Island, which is in the far north of Canada in Nunavut province. Florian Ledoux, a 28-year-old photographer, captured the majestic beast as it moved around the shifting archipelago. Rising temperatures have transformed the area – which is well inside the Arctic Circle – into a land of lagoons and streams as giant blocks of ice break apart
There it is: The majestic beast can be seen blending into the white, barren landscape as it hunts for its next meal among the melting surroundings. French photographer Florian said: ‘We spent every day trying to spot polar bears and then we saw fresh tracks and knew we were close. We all stayed on a deck trying to find it anywhere, looking constantly at the endless horizon with my binoculars, and then I saw something and I had to double check, but it was the king of the Arctic, swimming only a few metres away from the boat. Tears started to come to my eyes and my heart was beating faster and faster as we followed from a distance’
All alone: The huge bear appears dwarfed by the massive ice islands on which he is travelling in the vast Arctic. Photographer Florian, from Brasles in France, currently lives in Iceland because it makes a better gateway to the frozen north. After spotting the great white beast he managed to capture some phenomenal aerial shots showing the immense vastness of the landscape
Spotted: Because of rising temperatures, the journey polar bears must make in search of food has become increasingly difficult. Florian explained that he flew over the bear with a drone to get the pictures. He added: ‘Seeing the sea ice from this perspective was extremely impressive as the patterns gave another dimension. Seeing the world, especially the Arctic, from the sky is a whole new point of view as you can get closer to your topic than with a helicopter’
Stretch: The bear can be seen moving across a small channel in the part-frozen body of water. Florian explained that he was watching the drone’s journey from a computer. He said: ‘I have a direct screen return which means I can see the beauty of our planet earth as I fly. It can be rather tricky to fly in the high Arctic due to lack of GPS, the magnetic fields interfering with compass and high winds coming suddenly in. I crashed a few drones while attempting to capture these magnificent images’
Great leap forward: The polar lunges among the ice islands in Nunavut, which is a province in the far north of Canada