Alaska's Fat Bear Week pits 16 brown bears against each other for top weight title

Katmai National Park in southwest Alaska is hosting its twelfth annual Fat Bear Week, a public voting contest that showcases sixteen brown bears—ten females and six males—vying for the title of the fattest animal. The bears are presented each day on the Explore.org platform, and after six rounds of voting the field is narrowed to two finalists who will be crowned on Fat Bear Tuesday. Returning competitor Chunk, a 32-year-old male with a distinctive snout scar, seeks to defend his previous win, while a seasoned mother bear #132, over 20 years old and mother to three cubs this summer, also competes.

Younger female Marshmallow and the male Backpack, known for climbing onto his mother’s back while swimming, are among the other contenders. The contest serves to educate viewers about the bears’ need to accumulate fat—often exceeding 500 kg—for the months of winter hibernation and to raise awareness of environmental threats such as climate change.