Alaska's Annual 'Fat Bear Week' Competition Begins

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AmyBrown
Oct 1, 2020 9:00 AM EDT

Oh lawd, they comin'

Katmai National Park's annual competition of voting for your favorite chubby bear is back and voting has already begun! Which chubby cubby will win the title this year? 

Every Fall, the 'Fat Bear Week' competition takes place and it's a celebration in which the online community compares photos of bears in Spring and those same bears all chubbed up and getting ready for hibernation! The difference between the photos is often very obvious. And while it's a fun competition to take part in, it's truly all about these amazing bears, their survival, and how we're learning from them. 

For those who might consider this to be body shaming, it's actually all about body positivity. A bear needs to bulk up before winter, or else it won't survive. As the U.S. Department of the Interior says, "A fat bear is a healthy bear!" Bears can lose up to a third of their entire body fat as they hibernate. 

You can vote for your favorite chubby cubby here! And follow Katmai National Park on Twitter for all the updates! 


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  • 01

    Meet the bears!

    Brown bear - 32 Chunk Identification Chunk is a large adult male with narrowly-set eyes and a prominent brow ridge. Even at his leanest, Chunk carries substantial fat reserves, especially on his hind quarters. In early summer he tends to shed much of the fur around his shoulders and neck. This gives him a two-toned appearance and exposes numerous scars and wounds. By late summer, his newly grown fur is dark brown.
    via Katmai National Park
  • 02
    Brown bear - 128 Grazer Identification Grazer is a large adult female with blond fur, a long straight muzzle, and conspicuously large blond ears. During late summer and fall, her fur is grizzled brown and she is often one of the fattest bears to utilize Brooks River.
    via Katmai National Park
  • 03
    Brown bear - 402 Identification Four-zero-two is one of the largest adult females at Brooks River. She has medium brown fur, tan-colored claws, and crescent or apostrophe-shaped ears. During years when she is not caring for cubs, she is also quite fat in late summer and fall.
    via Katmai National Park
  • 04
    Mammal - 435 Holly Identification In early summer, Holly is a medium- large adult female with blond ears, blond fur, and pale, tan-colored claws. By early autumn, she is usually very fat with grizzled blond fur. Her appearance at that time somewhat resembles the shape and color of a toasted marshmallow.
    via Katmai National Park
  • 05
    Vertebrate - 435 Holly's spring cub Identification This first-year female cub has a grizzled blond fur and a curious and playful demeanor.
    via Katmai National Park
  • 06
    Brown bear - 480 Otis Identification Otis is a medium-large adult male with blond and brown fur in early summer. By autumn, his coat becomes grizzled in appearance and he sports a patch of lighter fur on his left shoulder. He also has a floppy right ear.
    via Katmai National Park
  • 07
    Brown bear - 719 Identification Seven-one-nine is a young adult female with shaggy blond fur, a dark face, and tan-tipped claws. In the fall her coat becomes dark blond, but she retains light blond ears. At this time, she closely resembles her mother, 435 Holly
    via Katmai National Park
  • 08
    Brown bear - 747 Identification Seven-four-seven is a very large adult male with wide-set, peg-like ears and a blocky muzzle. In early summer, his reddish-brown fur sheds in a patchy manner. Like many adult males, he often has scars and wounds on his face and neck. In late summer and fall, he is typically very fat with a low-hanging belly and uniformly dark brown fur.
    via Katmai National Park
  • 09
    Brown bear - 812 Identification Eight-one-two has grizzled brown fun and crescent shaped ears. He closely resembles 503, an older brother. Behaviorally, 812 can be identified by his tendency to lick his lips frequently and use rocks as a platform to eat salmon. He also will often extend a front leg forward when fishing on the lip of the falls.
    via Katmai National Park
  • 10
    Brown bear - 856 Identification Eight-five-six is a very large adult male with uniformly brown fur and light- brown ears. In early summer, he has a noticeable stripe of thin fur running from his head to his back and numerous scars and wounds are visible on his head and neck. By late summer his fur is dark brown. Behaviorally, he is quite bold and assertive toward other bears.
    via Katmai National Park
  • 11
    Brown bear - 909 Identification Nine-zero-nine is a young female with grizzled brown fur. Her blonde and triangularly shaped ears are prominent and wide-set.
    via Katmai National Park
  • 12
    Brown bear - 151 Walker Identification Walker is a large adult male. He has a skinny muzzle and widely spaced, upright ears. In early summer he has prominent dark eye-rings, and in late summer his fur is dark brown.
    via Katmai National Park
  • 13

    'Fat Bear Week' has officially begun!

    Vertebrate - US Department of the Interior @Interior #FatBearWeek starts today @KatmaiNPS! Check out before & after pics of your favorite husky bears & vote on the most rotund competitor. It's tons of fun: explore.org/fat-bear-week #Alaska 2:35 AM Oct 1, 2020 · Hootsuite Inc.
    via @Interior
  • 14
    Vertebrate - USFWS Alaska @USFWSAlaska ALASKA When you know fish fillets win #fatbearweek but accept that vegetation is all part of a balanced brown bear diet. Kodiak National #WildlifeRefuge, Alaska O @USFWSRefuges/Lisa Hupp 6:00 PM - Sep 30, 2020 - Hootsuite Inc.
    via @USFWSRefuges/Lisa Hupp
  • 15

    "Bear 747 comparison between July and September."

    Brown bear - 747 July 16, 2019 747 September 10, 2019
    via U.S. Department of the Interior / Photo by N. Boak, National Park Service
  • 16

    "Holly, the 2019 Fat Bear winner."

    Mammal - 435 Holly July 12, 2019 435 Holly September 22, 2019
    via U.S. Department of the Interior / Photo by K. Stenberg and L. Carter, National Park Service
  • 17

    "Beadnose 409 was the 2018 Fat Bear winner. "

    Vertebrate
    via U.S. Department of the Interior / Photo by A. Ramos, National Park Service
  • 18

    "Mama bear and cubs playing in the grass"

    Brown bear
    via U.S. Department of the Interior / Photo by James Beedle
  • 19

    "A brown bear taking an after lunch snooze."

    Vertebrate
    via U.S. Department of the Interior / Photo by D. Kopshever, National Park Service
  • 20

    A bear's paradise

    Body of water
    via U.S. Department of the Interior
  • 21
    Water
    via U.S. Department of the Interior
  • 22
    Organism - 151 32 'Walker' 'Chunk FAT BEAR WEEK 2020 WEDNESDAY SEPT. 30 THURSDAY ост. 1 856 719 FRIDAY ост. 2 SATURDAY ост. 3 480 435 'Otis' 'Holly' SUNDAY ост.4 FAT BEAR TUESDAY ост.6 MONDAY ост. 5 128 'Grazer' 747 FRIDAY ост. 2 SATURDAY 435's Cub OCT. 3 402 WEDNESDAY SEPT, 30 THURSDAY ост. 1 909 812 CHAMPION explere.org Katmai National Park & Preserve #FatBearWeek #BearCam Katmai Conservancy
    via Katmai National Park
  • 23
    Text - Katmai National Park @KatmaiNPS Replying to @KatmaiNPS Votes will be considered final at 6:00 pm AKDT on the day of the post. The bear with the most votes advances. Only one will receive the title of fattest bear! 7:53 PM - Sep 28, 2020 - Twitter Web App >
    via @KatmaiNPS

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aww competition alaska fat bears cute funny annual animals chubby
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