They may be one of the only reasons tourists brave temperatures of -30C but this polar bear clearly did not want to be watched.
The curious cub appears to be pushing the ship out of his territory when it came too close to the Norwegian islands of Svalbard.
The bear was photographed during an adventure cruise to the remote archipelago, which lies halfway between Norway and the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean.
Push off: A curious polar bear cub rests on an adventure cruise ship as it sails around the islands of Svalbard, which lies halfway between Norway and the North Pole
The polar bear was later pictured by crew standing on its hind legs watching as the M/S Expedition cruise ship left it in peace.
Three thousands of the endangered bears live in the Svalbard islands, which are about 63,000 square kilometres.
About 65 per cent of the area is protected and contains three nature reserves.
The islands are an important breeding grounds for polar bears.
Thousands of tourists flock to the archipelago to try to spot polar bears and other wildlife including Arctic reindeer, narwhal and about 30 species of birds.
