Polar bears squaring up for a fight before having a 'make-up cuddle'

The beasts both stood upright and had a brief exchange

This is the moment a playful tussle between two polar bears almost flared into a dramatic fight.

The beasts stood upright and began grappling after taking a sudden dislike to eachother.

But after the brief set-to the pair both decided to back down and make friends.

They then seemed keen to make love not war as they exchanged affectionate strokes of eachothers' faces.

The warring bears quickly parted

The stunning images were captured by South African snapper Andrew Schoeman, 42, who was leading a photography tour across the Arctic Plains of Svalbard.

He said: “To see the bears interact was a great experience and although it was brief it's always amazing to see the interaction of big predators.

The row was settled with an affectionate exchange

“To see a polar bear alone is great but to see two together was a wonderful experience.

“The bears were both young and they have recently left their mom, they briefly interacted with each other in a playful manner.

“After this short encounter each bear went their separate ways and there was no more interaction.”