Heart-breaking images of stranded polar bears on shrinking icebergs reveals the devastating impact global warming is having on wildlife The endangered creatures shown in their natural habitat, which is warming twice as fast as the global average Stunning photographs were taken at two locations - Nunavut Baffin Island and Devon Island, North of Canada Taken by wildlife photographer Florian Ledoux, who's originally from France but now living in Tromso, NorwayBy Peter Lloyd for MailOnline Published: 10:34 GMT, 1 February 2019 | Updated: 13:13 GMT, 1 February 2019 25 shares 91 Viewcomments Advertisement Heart-breaking images have captured 'climate refugee' polar bears hunting across the shrinking Arctic ice. The stunning pictures show the endangered creatures on dwindling icebergs as their natural habitat vanishes thanks to global warming. Polar regions are warming twice as fast as the global average and the impact it is having on the local wildlife is devastating. Scroll down for video In action: Stunning picture shows a polar bear leaping across the water from one block of ice to another, gazing up at a drone Making a splash: One of the hyper-carnivorous bears leaps from into the freezing waters to catch its prey Wow-factor: A lone polar bear rests at the edge of a small piece of ice surrounded by the luminous water Two's company: Although lone hunters, here we see two polar bears sharing space atop one of the ice caps One image shows them leaping across the water from one block of ice to another, gazing up at the drone and feeding on fresh kill. Another shows one resting at the edge of a small piece of ice, lying with a friend while flanked by the criss-cross pattern of blue water. The remarkable snapshots were taken at two locations - Nunavut Baffin Island and Devon Island, North of Canada - by wildlife photographer Florian Ledoux, who's originally from France but now living in Tromso, Norway. 'It's hard to imagine such impressive, powerful predators being vulnerable, but man-made climate change is making life tough for them – so their fate could be in our hands,' says the WWF. 'We mustn't let them down.' The bears need platforms of ice to reach their prey of ringed and bearded seals. Some sea ice lies over more productive hunting areas than others. Like other predators at the top of the food chain, polar bears have a low reproductive rate. One or two cubs are born in midwinter and stay with their mother for two years. Consequently, females breed only every three years. The bears don't reproduce until they are five or six years old. Fact: Adult polar bears are strong swimmers – they can swim for several hours to get from one piece of ice to another Did you know? Their thick white coat and a layer of fat keep them warm and camouflaged in their harsh Arctic environment Dining out: Polar bears mainly eat seals – using their remarkable sense of smell they can detect a seal in the water beneath a metre of compacted snow, and from almost a kilometre away Polar bears are the planet's biggest land-based carnivores – although they actually spend most of their lives around water Polar bears rely heavily on the sea ice environment for traveling, hunting, mating, resting, and in some areas, maternal dens Polar bears have a strong cultural significance for Arctic people, and beyond, polar bears are top predators in their food web WHY DO POLAR BEARS NEED ICE TO SURVIVE? Loss of ice due to climate change has a direct impact on the ability of polar bears to feed and survive. The bears need platforms of ice to reach their prey of ringed and bearded seals. Some sea ice lies over more productive hunting areas than others. Like other predators at the top of the food chain, polar bears have a low reproductive rate. One or two cubs are born in midwinter and stay with their mother for two years. Consequently, females breed only every three years. The bears don’t reproduce until they are five or six years old. From late fall until spring, mothers with new cubs den in snowdrifts on land or on pack ice. They emerge from their dens, with the new cubs, in the spring to hunt seals from floating sea ice. Simply put, if there isn’t enough sea ice, seals can’t haul out on the ice, and polar bears can’t continue to hunt. End of summer measurements of sea ice in the Arctic in September revealed that the region has hit the eighth lowest extent in modern record keeping. Satellite data showed the Arctic reached its yearly lowest extent on September 13, at 1.79 million square miles (4.64 million square kilometres). While the Arctic hits its summertime minimum around this time every year, the experts say the extent has been decreasing rapidly as a result of climate change, seeing dramatic declines since the late 1970s. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility