Alaska's brown bears are putting the finishing touches on their winter bodies as one of the internet's favourite animal-themed polls returns.
For one week, Katmai Park's portly residents will go head-to-head in pursuit of the title of fattest bear.
Here's everything you need to know about this year's edition of Fat Bear Week.
What is Fat Bear Week?
It's a celebration of Alaska's rotund brown bears ahead of their hibernation season.
The annual event has gained fans across the world, with past champions becoming particular favourites of followers.
With the warmth of summer now faded, the bears of Katmai National Park are about to head into hibernation for the Northern Hemisphere's winter.
To survive the cold months inside their dens with little food or water, the bears have been adding to their body fat reserves by gorging on salmon since late June.
Rangers have been documenting their bodybuilding efforts since June with video cameras set up along the Brooks River, where the bears hunt for salmon.
Now, it's time to decide who had their most successful season.
The national park's chunkiest residents from the season have been sorted into tournament-style brackets.
Each day, polls will go live on the Fat Bear Week website, with voters deciding which bear emerges from the bracket as victor and who returns to their dens empty-pawed.
We've already had a warm-up round for Katmai's younger residents, Fat Bear Junior.
Fan favourite 909 Jr, who had previously won the category for chubby cubbies in 2022, took the crown again this year.
[INTERACTIVE: Map of Katmai National Park]When is Fat Bear Week?
This year's event will run from October 2 to October 8.
That means in Australia, the first day will kick off in the early hours of October 3.
Voting will be open during the morning hours for Australian fans.
Here are the exact times:
- AWST: 12am to 9am
- ACST: 1:30am to 10:30am
- AEST: 2am to 11am
Voting for each round will be held on the explore.org website.
Which bears have been nominated?
There are 12 bears competing in this year's tournament.
32 'Chunk'
Identification features: Narrowly-set eyes, dark brown fur, a prominent brow ridge, and a distinctive scar across his muzzle.
Competition history: The 2023 runner-up.
What the rangers say: "As a very large, perhaps 1,200-pound-plus bear, Chunk uses his size and confidence to his advantage. No bear on the river challenged Chunk successfully for fishing spots. Bears that were unwary or unlucky found themselves under threat when he was nearby. Even the giants known as 747 and 856 yielded space to him. This gave Chunk unlimited access to his most preferred fishing spots."
128 'Grazer'
Identification features: A long, straight muzzle, conspicuously blonde ears and has grizzled, light brown fur.
Competition history: After winning Fat Bear Week in 2023, Grazer returns to the competition as the current title holder.
What the rangers say: "Grazer’s skills and toughness make her one of Brooks River’s most formidable, successful, and adaptable bears."
151 'Walker'
Identification features: A long, tapering muzzle and widely spaced, upright ears, dark brown fur, and a light bulb or pear-shaped body.
Competition history: No titles.
What the rangers say: "Walker ranks high currently in the hierarchy of bears at Brooks River and shows much less tolerance for other bears compared to his younger self. He establishes and maintains his dominance at Brooks Falls by displacing other bears from preferred fishing spots. In a significant change from previous years, Walker was able to displace long-time rival 856."
164 'Bucky'
Identification features: Grizzled brown fur, light brown ears, and an apparent indentation at the base of his upper muzzle.
Competition history: He's not recorded any wins yet but could be in with a solid shot. Onlookers have noticed his size rivals that of two-time Fat Bear Week champion 747.
What the rangers say: "By standing at the edge of the deepest plunge pool, nearly under the cascade at Brooks Falls, 164 discovered that he could catch salmon welling up from the pool below, jumping through the air, or falling from above. This is a spot that no other bear—currently or in the recent past—has tried to fish consistently.
"Fishing at Brooks Falls isn’t easy for young bears. He carved himself a unique niche at Brooks Falls, but will he rely on that ability as he matures into a large adult or will he use more traditional skills and strategies to overcome the challenges he faces?"
504
Identification features: Uniformly brown fur and a long, straight muzzle that gives a distinctive face.
Competition history: This year is 504's first Fat Bear Week tournament.
What the rangers say: "By remaining a family, 504 and her huge cubs were gifted an opportunity to reap the greater rewards provided by their size and success."
519
Identification features: Grizzled brown fur, tall upright ears, and lanky legs.
Competition history: At just 2.5 years old, 519 is yet to record any success in the Fat Bear Week tournament.
What the rangers say: "As illustrated by 519’s lanky legs and body, the subadult years are a time of awkward ursine adolescence. All bears must endure it on their journey to adulthood. 519 used her adaptability and knowledge to adjust to her new social status after a sudden and surprising separation from her mother."
747
Identification features: A blocky muzzle and dark brown fur. Both of his outer ears are damaged, likely due to fights with other large bears.
Competition history: As the 2020 and 2022 title holder, 747 is one of Katmai Park's most seasoned competitors.
What the rangers say: "With his fishing skill and rank near the top of the hierarchy, advantage comes to 747 in many ways even if life near the top includes moments of difficulty. He was the Fat Bear Week champion in 2020 and 2022."
856
Identification features: Uniformly brown body fur and light-brown ears. It's estimated when 856 stands on all four legs, he stands at more than 5 feet (1.5 metres) tall at the shoulder.
Competition history: 856 was considered the river's most consistently dominant bear between 2011 and 2023. He's faced challenges from long-time rivals 32 Chunk, 151 Walker, and 747 this year, though.
What the rangers say: "A resilient bear such as 856 doesn’t give up easily. He met challenges head-on even as he proved that he could use his adaptability to overcome hardship."
901
Identification features: Blonde-rimmed, triangular ears and grizzled brown fur.
Competition history: 901's body fat took her all the way to the finals in Fat Bear Week 2022.
What the rangers say: "Young mother bears face a steep learning curve and first-year cubs have high mortality rates. 901 experienced the loss of her family but appears poised to learn from that experience and possibly return to the river with another family of cubs next year."
903 'Gully'
Identification features: Dark claws with light brown tips, light to dark brown fur, and especially grizzled on his neck and face.
Competition history: Gully is yet to record any wins, but he's taken a unique strategy this year. While most bears at Brooks River ignore birds, this young gun has been seen capturing gulls to supplement his diet.
What the rangers say: "903 has become a prominent fixture on the lip of Brooks Falls where his still-increasing body size allows him to better withstand challenges for fishing space. 903 uses his adaptability and skill to find success among some challenging competition."
909
Identification features: Light to medium-brown fur and very blond ears.
Competition history: 909 may not have won any competitions yet, but her mother, Beadnose, was the 2018 Fat Bear Week champion, so winning could be in her blood.
What the rangers say: "As a lone female this summer, 909 experienced the advantage of greater independence. She fished with skill and focus, traits that are reflected in the size of 909’s waistline. Her skills, work ethic, and family legacy could be imparted on a new litter of cubs next year."
909 Jr
Identification features: Evenly coloured brown fur and wide-set ears.
Competition history: 909 Jr may be a newcomer to the Fat Bear Week tournament, but she shouldn't be underestimated. She's just taken out this year's Fat Bear Junior competition, and also won the cub title in 2022.
What the rangers say: "She gained extra years of care after being adopted by her aunt."
The competitors were due to be revealed on Monday, but were delayed after a deadly attack was caught on one of the park's live feeds.
469, an adult male bear also known as Patches, was seen approaching an older female, 402 in the Brooks River on Monday.
He then attacked and killed her.
"National parks like Katmai protect not only the wonders of nature, but also the harsh realities," park officials said in a statement after bear 402's death.
"Each bear seen on the webcams is competing with others to survive."
Mike Fritz, a resident naturalist at Explore.org which hosts the live stream, said 402 "likely died by drowning".
"We love to celebrate the success of bears with full stomachs and ample body fat," he said.
"But the ferocity of bears is real, the risks that they face are real, their lives can be hard and their deaths can be painful."
How big do the bears get?
Every bear is different, but the average male adult can start the season at about 300 kilograms and end it at a hefty 500kg.
Rangers say the bulkiest and most successful bears can catch and eat up to 30 salmon each day.
That equates to about 55kg of fish in a 24-hour period.
What is the point of Fat Bear Week?
It's mostly just a bit of fun.
The competition started as Fat Bear Tuesday in 2014 as a way for fans to engage with the park.
Rangers got the idea after a webcam viewer shared a screenshots of one bear's ample transformation.
And when the single-day vote was a resounding success, the competition evolved into the week-long poll we now know and love.
Since 2020, an annual fundraiser is also held at the end of Fat Bear Week to raise money for the Otis Fund.
The Katmai Conservancy says donations raised allow them to support education and engagement programs, as well as provide funding for research on Katmai's brown bears and human history.
The Otis Fund is named after the beloved four-time Fat Bear Week champion 480 Otis.
Was there a Fat Bear Week controversy?
The ballots were stuffed.
In 2022, organisers detected unusual voting activity in the semi final round between previous champion Holly and Bear 747.
Holly initially appeared to have beaten her foe but an investigation revealed she had been launched to victory with 9,000 votes received in a short period.
"Like bears stuff their face with fish, our ballot box, too, has been stuffed," the national park tweeted.
"It appears someone has decided to spam the Fat Bear Week poll, but fortunately it is easy for us to tell which votes are fraudulent."
After removing the fake votes, officials found 747 won with 37,940 votes to Holly's 30,430.
