All Hail the Chunkiest Bear in Katmai
Every autumn, nature fans across the globe cast their votes in a delightfully chunky contest: Fat Bear Week. Organized by Katmai National Park in Alaska, the competition celebrates brown bears as they feast on salmon to prepare for hibernation, the long winter sleep where animals rest without eating or drinking. This year, Bear #89, affectionately known as Backpack, took home the heavyweight crown!
Backpack defeated a formidable rival, Bear #910, in the final showdown. While the event is pure fun for people voting online, getting big is serious business for wild bears. Over the summer and early fall, these bears enter a state called hyperphagia—an extreme biological drive to eat as much food as possible. A single bear can devour dozens of rich sockeye salmon every day, packing on hundreds of pounds of fat. That thick layer of blubber isn't just for show; it serves as a giant battery of energy that keeps them warm and healthy through months of freezing Alaskan winter.
Why do fans love Backpack so much? Here are a few reasons he won hearts:
- Incredible transformation: He went from a lean, scruffy bear in spring to an absolute walking boulder by autumn.
- Elite fishing skills: Backpack is famous for patiently patrolling the Brooks River rapids to catch the fattest salmon.
- Survival success: His massive size proves Katmai's ecosystem is thriving with clean water and abundant fish.
By the time snow falls, Backpack will retreat into his cozy winter den, burning through his hard-earned calories until spring rolls around.
If you could pick an animal superpower to prepare for winter, would you choose endless snacking or sleeping through the cold?
Source: Popular Science
