Bear knuckle brawl! Incredible photos show two grizzlies fighting

Two bears have been caught on camera dramatically battling in the waters of the Alaskan wilderness.

The images show a mother grizzly fishing in the shallows with two of her cubs when another makes the fatal error of stepping too close.

Within moments, the mother bear has slammed through the water, reared up and roared, displaying her teeth and razor-sharp claws in a show of defiance to the would-be intruder. 

Cowering in fear, the intruding bear runs off to a less crowded place to fish.

The incredible images were taken in Lake Clark National Park, Alaska, by Baltimore-based photographer Scott Suriano.

Mr Suriano said: 'This was definitely one of my top wildlife photographic experiences.

'I felt so grateful as well as humbled to have witnessed such a powerful display of wild maternal protection.'

The grizzly bear, also known as the North American brown bear, can weigh up to 900 pounds, stand up to 8 feet tall and run up to 35 miles per hour. 

They also have an incredible sense of smell, which is said to be up to 2,000 times stronger than a human's - allowing them to detect food from miles away.