A bear called 32 Chunk has won his first title in Fat Bear Week — an online popularity contest run by the US National Park Service that has developed an enthusiastic global following.
The annual online poll, which showcases brown bears in Alaska's Katmai National Park, ended with a battle between two of the region's most titanic residents.
32 Chunk was named the champion over his portly rival 856, raking in the majority of the public's votes — 96,362 to 63,729.
What is Fat Bear Week?
It's an online popularity contest for the resident bears of Katmai National Park in the US state of Alaska.
Fans vote for their favourite in a knockout-style competition until one emerges as the chunky champion.
It all started in 2012 when video cameras were placed throughout the park, giving people live streams of the bears as they fished for salmon along the Brooks River throughout the summer.
[LINK: Map of Katmai National Park]A viewer posted a before-and-after comparison of screenshots they had captured, showing the transformation of a bear that had fattened itself up before going into winter hibernation.
Two years later, some rangers came up with an idea called Fat Bear Tuesday to give fans the chance to vote for their favourite bodybuilding bears.
It grew in popularity, eventually becoming a week-long contest and attracting fans from around the world.
Last year, more than 1.2 million people voted in the poll.
This year was the 12th edition of Fat Bear Week.
How is a winner decided?
By a public vote.
"People may vote using any criteria they see fit," the contest website says.
"In the end, one bear will reign supreme."
Chunk is the hunk
This year's heavyweight champion has a storied history in Fat Bear Week.
For years, it seemed 32 was destined to be always a bridesmaid, never the bride.
Nicknamed "Chunk" for his bulging body, he recorded his fourth runner-up placing in 2024.
When he first reappeared on the banks of Brooks River in June, it seemed this year's contest would likely turn out the same.
Chunk was sporting a freshly broken jaw that would severely hurt his ability to hold his place at fishing spots and catch salmon.
Katmai National Park media ranger Naomi Boak said there were concerns over whether Chunk would even survive the summer with his disability.
But rangers say Chunk "proved immediately adaptable", avoiding confrontations with his large male rivals, and learning to eat without the full use of his mandible.
The efforts paid off, with Chunk picking up his first-ever Fat Bear Week title.
"But not only had he figured out how to survive that injury, but he has thrived, gaining girth beyond what anybody could have possibly imagined with that kind of injury," Ms Boak said.
"A bear's life is not an easy one, and resilience is key to survival and success, and I think 32 showed us just how to be a winner."
With a distinctive scar across his muzzle, a prominent muzzle and dark fur, Chunk is an easily recognisable river regular.
But his popularity among fans has been turbulent over the years.
Chunk has been known to use his size and confidence to his advantage when vying for fishing spots.
Unwary or unlucky competitors have often found themselves under threat when he is nearby.
In 2024, he came to blows with 128 Grazer and her two cubs and left one with fatal injuries.
Grazer went on to beat Chunk in that year's edition of Fat Bear Week, with many fans pointing to his involvement in the cub's death as a reason for voting against him.
A robust runner-up
This year's runner-up, 856, is a veteran of riverside rumbles for salmon.
The burly bruin was considered to be at the top of the Katmai bear hierarchy from 2011 to 2023 — a place he maintained with size and fighting prowess.
But now in his mid-20s, he can't compete with the same vigour as he once did.
As he faces increasingly difficult competition from younger bears, 856 has had to rethink his fishing strategy.
Explore.org naturalist Mike Fitz, who helps run Fat Bear Week, said the key to 856's success this year was his social intelligence.
"He's no longer a young bear; he can't compete as well as he has in the past, and he understands this," he said.
"He picks his battles, he evaluates his competition, he shows patience when necessary, yet still challenges other bears when he feels the odds are in his favour.
"So, wisdom for dealing with confidence is how 856 displays his intelligence."
Why do bears need to fatten up?
Mr Fitz says fat is a measure of success, adaptation, and survival in the bear world.
As they hibernate over winter, bears can survive off their fat stores for energy.
"Through instinct and learned skill, and their energetic savings account — which is body fat — they find shelter and they find comfort, even as they experience a months-long famine."
