Winner of Fat Bear Week: Check Out The Fattest Bear of 2025
Every fall, the internet collectively loses its mind over fat bears. And for good reason! These chunky champions are wild Alaskan brown bears bulking up for winter, and their glow-ups are honestly impressive. This year, all eyes were on Katmai National Park as the votes poured in. And now, the winner has been announced. Let’s meet the big winner of 2025 and take a closer look at why this contest means more than you might think.
Meet Chunk: The 2025 Fat Bear Champion
Chunk isn’t new to the spotlight, but 2025 was finally his year. This Katmai bear showed up bigger than ever, easily tipping the scales in both size (over 1,200 lbs!) and fan support. His round, fuzzy face and massive frame made him a favorite from the start. While other bears put up a good fight, Chunk’s transformation wowed voters. And many voters were amazed that Chunk showed up with a broken jaw this year, but still managed to eat enough salmon to bulk up and win.
What Is Fat Bear Week, Anyway?
If you're not familiar, Fat Bear Week is like March Madness but with salmon-stuffed bears instead of basketball teams. It’s an annual online bracket where people vote for the fattest bears at Katmai National Park. It celebrates the bears' pre-hibernation weight gain and the incredible ecosystem that supports them. It’s fun, sure, but it’s also a great way to learn about how wild animals prepare for survival, and how public engagement helps protect these amazing habitats.
Chunk’s Rise to Fame
Chunk has been around for years, but his path to Fat Bear stardom wasn’t always clear. Early on, he kept a low profile, avoiding bear-on-bear drama. But in recent years, he’s grown in confidence (and size), showing he can hold his own at the Brooks River fishing spots. Fans love his patience, his bulk, and honestly, his ability to come back from adversity. Since breaking his jaw during mating season, he’s become the bear equivalent of a gentle giant who minds his business and eats his salmon.
Why Fat Is a Good Thing
In the wild, being fat isn’t a weakness, it’s something to celebrate. Bears like Chunk need every ounce they can pack on to survive months without food during hibernation. The bigger the bear, the better its odds. That’s why Fat Bear Week isn’t about making fun of the size of the bears. It’s a celebration of survival, resilience, and the richness of Katmai’s ecosystem. It’s nature at its chunkiest, and we’re lucky to witness it.
What Makes Katmai Special
Katmai National Park in Alaska is home to more than 2,000 brown bears, and it's one of the few places where you can watch them up close in their natural routines. Brooks Falls, where bears fish for salmon, has become an iconic live-cam destination. The park’s pristine rivers and salmon runs make it possible for bears like Chunk to get so fat, and protecting these resources ensures that future bear generations can do the same.
How You Can Watch the Bears Too
Even if you can’t make it to Alaska, you can still watch Chunk and his fellow fluffballs online. Explore.org streams the bear cams every summer and fall, giving folks a front-row seat to salmon chases, splash fights, and slow-motion bear belly waddles. It’s surprisingly soothing, sometimes dramatic, and always real and live. Plus, tuning in helps build awareness about conservation, and might just make you fall in love with fat bears, too.
Chunky, Majestic, and Unbothered
In a world that often feels too fast and too complicated, Fat Bear Week offers something simple and fun. A bunch of bears, doing what they’ve done for centuries, just trying to make it through the winter. Chunk’s victory is more than just a funny internet moment, it’s a reminder that nature still has the power to surprise us, charm us, and leave us cheering for the biggest bear in the woods.