NEW YORK ( WPIX ) – Who is the chunkiest brown bear of them all? That’s what the National Park Service is trying to determine during its annual Fat Bear Week competition .
Fans can cast their votes for their favorite fat bear in a March Madness-style bracket from Oct. 2 to 8, according to the National Park Service.
Alaska’s Fat Bear Week nears as Fat Bear Jr. contestants named
“For each match-up, vote for the bear you believe best exemplifies fatness and success in brown bears,” the voting website reads.
Brown bears fatten up throughout the summer to survive the winter hibernation. They can lose about one-third of their body weight while dormant, according to the National Park Service.
All of the brown bears featured in the matchups live in Katmai National Park in Alaska. The bears in the park feast on salmon from the Brooks River between late June and early October, officials said.
Past contestants include 32 Chunk, 128 Grazer, 151 Walker and 164 Bucky Dent. To find out more about them, click here .