Fat Bear Week!

It's the happiest time of the year — Fat Bear Week! This year's event takes place from Sept. 23-30, and Mashable will be following all the ursine activity. Katmai National Park and Preserve’s brown bears (also known as grizzly bears) spent the summer gorging on 4,500-calorie salmon, and they've transformed into rotund giants, some weighing more than 1,000 pounds. So, the Alaskan park is once again hosting its beloved annual competition to crown the fattest of the fat bears.

Fat Bear Week!

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This fat bear won't win Fat Bear Week. But the bears know he's king.
The dominant bear 856 photographed in Katmai National Park and Preserve's Brooks River in 2022.



This bear looked frail and weak. Look at his transformation.
The aging bear Otis (bear 480) seen looking quite gaunt in July 2023.

What's Fat Bear Week?
The Fat Bear Week Champion bear 747 fishing in Katmai National Park and Preserve's Brooks River.

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