It's time for everyone's favorite bracket battle — Fat Bear Week. The annual online contest returns to Katmai National Park in Alaska as massive brown bears gorge, bulk up and compete for the internet’s vote in a wild, fish-fueled showdown where size is everything.
This year's competitors were announced live on YouTube on Monday evening.
The clawed contestants for 2025 are:
- 26 - This is her Fat Bear Week debut. She came to Brooks River with her first litter in 2023, and has returned this past July with a new litter. She is believed to be the daughter of the legendary Brooks River bear and former Fat Bear Week winner 435 Holly.
- 32 Chunk - Like his name implies, he's a very large bear, pushing 1,200 pounds. He came to the river this summer with a freshly broken jaw, likely related to a mating season fight. But he appears to be adapting well.
- 99 - This is his Fat Bear Week debut. Officials said, "While 99 is not yet large enough to rank within the very top tier of adult male bears in the Brooks River hierarchy, he is close to achieving the size needed to face the highest levels of competition." His mom is bear 39 and his siblings are 912 and 913.
- 128 Grazer - She's a Fat Bear Week star raising her third litter. Grazer was the 2023 Fat Bear Week champion and became the first mother bear ever to win the title in 2024. Her yearling cub is the 2025 Fat Bear Junior champion.
- 503 - He's a subadult bear that was once adopted by 435 Holly. He's unusually amicable with other bears, but has a rivalry with Bear 164.
- 602 - This is his Fat Bear Week debut! He was nicknamed "floatato" after he was regularly seen napping in the river this summer.
- 609 - She's a former Fat Bear Junior champion, circa 2022. She's a large bear for her five years of age and is still learning her independence. Her mother is bear 909.
- 856 - He's known for frequently licking his lips while fishing, which officials said is a unique behavioral characteristic. He was once one of the biggest bears at the river, but as he's entered his mid-20s, he is choosing his battles for fishing spots more wisely.
- 901 - She's noticeable for her triangular, blond-rimmed ears. Sadly, her early adult life has been marked with loss as her litter in 2023 did not survive. But she is bulking up for another potential chance at motherhood.
- 909 - She's part of a family legacy at Brooks River. Her eldest surviving offspring is 609 and her sister is 910. She has experienced loss in her litters over the years. She was seen earlier this year with three cubs, but they haven't been spotted since.
- 910 - She's 909's sister and 609's aunt. She also helped raise 609. But lately she has experienced the single life and could be preparing for her own litter as soon as this winter.
Now that the bears and brackets are set, the ferocious game is on.
It's a single-elimination tournament where the public can vote for the bear they believe best exemplifies fatness and success in brown bears. The bear with the most votes advances to the next round — but only one will be crowned Fat Bear Week champion on Sept. 30.
In addition to voting and advocating for their favorite bear, enthusiasts can also watch livestreams from cameras of the bears bulking up from the abundant salmon supply along the Brooks River.
Once the contest ends, park officials typically post “transformation” photos of the contestants showing their visible bulking.
Katmai National Park is home to some of the largest brown bears in the world, officials said. Adult male bears can weigh more than 1,200 pounds by the end of the summer, while the females weigh around half that amount because they get more exercise chasing cubs around.
Brown bears are omnivores, but the plentiful sockeye salmon in the Brooks River are essential to their diet.
Bears need to consume enough calories before hibernation to avoid losing 15-30% of their body weight, according to the National Park Service.
The fat bear frenzy began as Fat Bear Tuesday in 2014, aimed at celebrating the Alaskan bears' winter weight gain and the thriving ecosystem supporting them. Now, thousands of people from around the globe flock to FatBearWeek.org and cast their votes for the chunkiest bear that has captured their hearts.
The contest draws over nearly one million votes each year, according to park officials. It has gotten so popular, officials added a Fat Bear Junior competition for the public to vote on their favorite cubs.
