Kooky competition, serious science

Fat Bear Week offers a glimpse into the health of rivers in the remote far north of the planet.

With a belly full of salmon and a body rolling in fat, Otis the bear has claimed the title of the fattest bear in Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska, US.

Fat Bear Week 2021 celebrates the hefty Ursidae who gorge themselves on salmon before hunkering down for winter hibernation.

Meaty and undefeated, bodacious Otis beat 11 other bulging bears in elimination rounds based on fan votes to become the Champion of Chonk.

His prize? Twelve months of bragging rights and a very long nap.

Bulking up is important for bears because it tides them through the cold winter, when they can lose up to a third of their body weight; but it also helps the ecosystem around them.

During autumn months the bears feed on protein-rich Pacific salmon that swim upriver to spawn. The salmon carcasses are left around for other scavengers to eat, and also end up fertilising the soil, plants and fungi in the temperate rainforest ecosystem.

The Brooks River in Katmai National Park is one of the richest salmon-filled rivers in the world, so the rotundness of the bears who feast on the fish is an indicator for how well the river is doing. Scientists want to see them as fat as possible to know that the ecosystem is thriving.

Otis has done his part in this complex cycle and can now sleep.