The usual habitat of polar bears is snow and ice, but in this video, photographer Martin Gregus reveals the softer side of the world’s largest territorial predator during the summer months.

Gregus, who has spent two years near Churchill, in Manitoba, Canada, captures the moment polar bears walk across spectacular fields of purple fireweed. Not a block of ice to be seen around them.

The arctic creatures are usually pictured in freezing white terrain but in rarely seen images, they were captured enjoying a warmer climate at the height of summer.

The footage shows bears playfully popping up from plains of purple fireweed and lounging in the warmth of the sunshine that they can only experience for a few months of the year.

In another adorable shot, two bears snooze on a green outcrop, covering their eyes from the summer sun with their paws.

Gregus, 26, said: "There is this disconnect because a lot of people think that the Arctic has to have a lot of snow. People don't realise that the Arctic has a summertime and has a large ice-free area".

"The unpredictability of the seasons affects the bears the most, they are used to not having the ice all the time, but the bears are struggling to navigate when things will change. It is extremely unique to document the polar bears in the summer. Even now looking at those pictures I still sometimes can't believe that we did that", he added.

Temperatures in the Canadian Arctic can reach up to 20’c in July and August before they plummet to a contrasting -30’c in winter.

To study the bears and capture the unique shots, Martin camped in an adapted bear-proof cabin, or a boat close to where the bears were living.

The 20ft boat had a specially built metal compartment, where he could sleep safely on bunk beds, without fear of being attacked.

“All of these pictures show bears that are fat, healthy, and playful,” said Martin. “So although from a global perspective everything may be going wrong for polar bears, obviously something’s going right here.”

Martin first picked up a camera when he was eight years old when his family moved from Slovakia to Vancouver, Canada.

Because his father's job had more steady hours, the pair would set off on treks to find animals to photograph, and the young boy was soon an accomplished and prize-winning photographer.

He said: "I never thought I would become the polar bear guy, but it has always been my passion for photography that has got me through. The polar bears are the stars of the show, I am just the photographer, they changed my life not the other way around. It was unbelievably exciting.

The usual habitat of these polar bears is snow-where to be seen as they frolic in fields of beautiful purple flowers – with not a block of ice to be seen around them.

The arctic creatures are usually pictured in freezing white terrain but in rarely seen images, they were captured enjoying a warmer climate at the height of summer.

Photographer Martin Gregus has spent two years near Churchill, in Manitoba, Canada, revealing the softer side to the world’s largest territorial predator during the summer months.

In amazing photos and video, bears playfully pop up from plains of purple fireweed and lounge in the warmth of the sunshine that they can only experience for a few months of the year.

And in another adorable shot, two bears snooze on a green outcrop, covering their eyes from the summer sun with their paws.

Martin, 26, said: "There is this disconnect because a lot of people think that the Arctic has to have a lot of snow. People don't realise that the Arctic has a summertime and has a large ice-free area.

"The unpredictability of the seasons affects the bears the most, they are used to not having the ice all the time, but the bears are struggling to navigate when things will change.

"It is extremely unique to document the polar bears in the summer. Even now looking at those pictures I still sometimes can't believe that we did that."

Temperatures in the Canadian Arctic can reach up to 20’c in July and August, before they plummet to a contrasting -30’c in winter.

To study the bears and capture the unique shots, Martin camped in an adapted bear proof cabin, or a boat close to where the bears were living.

The 20ft boat had a specially built metal compartment, where he could sleep safely on bunk beds, without fear of being attacked.

“All of these pictures show bears that are fat, healthy, and playful,” said Martin. “So although from a global perspective everything may be going wrong for polar bears, obviously something’s going right here.”

Martin first picked up a camera when he was eight years old, when his family moved from Slovakia to Vancouver, Canada.

Because his father's job had more steady hours, the pair would set off on treks to find animals to photograph, and the young boy was soon an accomplished and prize-winning photographer.

He said: "I never thought I would become the polar bear guy, but it has always been my passion for photography that has got me through.

"The polar bears are the stars of the show, I am just the photographer, they changed my life not the other way around. It was unbelievably exciting.”

ENDS