“Fat Bear Week” is back with its annual celebration of the brown bears that call Brooks River in Katmai National Park, Alaska, home. For these bears, the fatter the better because it means they have enough fat to survive winter hibernation. Let’s check out this year’s winner.

In case you didn’t know, the bears in this park are some of the biggest in the world, with the biggest males often weighing more than 1,200 pounds by fall. In order to celebrate their beary excellence, a bracket is released each year with a selection of Katmai’s bears. It’s a single-elimination tournament to determine which bear best exemplifies fatness for the season. And this year the winner is 747!

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fat bear week
Photo courtesy of Candice Rusch
fat bear week
Photo courtesy of Candice Rusch

We’ll assume his name is simply a number and not a reference to the Boeing plane model. According to “Fat Bear Week”, this big boy is actually one of the largest brown bears on Earth. It’s estimated that he may weigh upwards of 1,400 pounds and is most certainly a force to be reckoned with. In fact, he is respected by other bears of the Brooks River simply due to his size rather than brute force.

He was also the winner of 2020’s Fat Bear Week and we’re sure this won’t be his last championship. You can learn more about 747 and the bears of “Fat Bear Week” by visiting Explore’s website.

Happy fall!