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Fat Bear Week is back and this year's contestants are a giant, fluffy dream for the competition's 10th anniversary.

Monday's initial announcement was postponed until Tuesday after a gruesome attack was caught on webcams in which one bear attacked and killed another. However, the bracket was announced on Tuesday to celebrate the battle of the giants.

From burly cute bears to chubby teddy bears, brown bears from Brooks River in Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve will graduate from the popular week that brings joy (or possibly terror) to people around the world.

“Fat Bear Week satisfies your hunger for bears, salmon and the other wonders of Katmai,” said Mark Sturm, superintendent of Katmai National Park, “all in one bite.”

After a summer's effort, the bears have peaked in hibernation and single-elimination tournaments begin Wednesday. In each contest, participants vote for the bear they believe “represents the best example of obesity and success in brown bears,” officials wrote on the contest website.

The bear with the most votes advances to the next round, with only one being crowned Fat Bear Week Champion. But which beauty will the Internet crown as the Fat Bear King or Queen of 2024?

Here's what you should know about America's favorite beauty pageant and who this year's contestants are:

See video: The man stays cool in a bear duel

When is Fat Bear Week?

Fat Bear Week 2024 runs from October 2nd to 8th.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the start of Fat Bear Week. The annual competition began in 2014.

  • September 30: Bracket reveal at 7 p.m. ET
  • 2nd–8th October: Fat Bear Week voting begins

Why was the Fat Bear Week series reveal delayed?

Contest officials announced Monday that the unveiling of the Fat Bear Week series would be postponed following a gruesome incident between two bears at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

“This morning an adult male bear attacked and killed another bear at Brooks River,” resident naturalist Mike Fitz said during a live public broadcast originally intended to announce the contest participants. “The incident was followed live on the webcams.”

Bear number 469, an adult male bear estimated to be 30 years old, attacked bear number 402, an older adult female, while the two were in the water.

“We love celebrating the success of bears with full stomachs and plenty of body fat during Fat Bear Week, but the ferocity of bears is real. The risks they face are real. Their lives can be hard and their deaths can be painful,” he added.

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Where does Fat Bear Week take place?

The competition takes place in Katmai National Park on the northern Alaska Peninsula in the Bristol Bay Borough.

The headquarters is on the edge of the park in King Salmon, about 290 miles southwest of Anchorage.

Who are the participants of Fat Bear Week 2024?

Below are the Fat Bear Week 2024 participants:

909 Jr.

  • Almost 4 years old
  • Great social skills
  • Learned fishing techniques from her mother

“She faces challenges in this competition that the older bears don't, so I think she should be recognized for that and for her one-two victory,” said Naomi Boak of the Katmai Conservancy.

519

  • 3 years old
  • Has long, lanky legs
  • Newly emancipated and separated from Bear 719

“She's a great representative of this year's young bears and shows how quickly they can develop from these lanky little bears into such awkward-looking teenage bears,” said Sarah Bruce of Katmai National Park.

129 Graz

  • Fat Bear Week 2023 Champion
  • Very defensive mother who gave birth to two first graders in 2024
  • In July, one of the Graz boys died after being injured by 32 Chunk. Grazer showed courage when she defended her boys.

“Since then, Grazer and her surviving cub have continued to focus on their efforts to return before winter, which appears to have paid off as they are both quite chubby,” Fitz said. “Grazer is one of the most impressive, successful and adaptable bears, although her story this year shows that even the most fearless mother bears experience hardship and loss.”

903 Gully

  • 8 year old male
  • He is called Gully because of his penchant for eating seagulls
  • I learned life lessons from 128 Graz

“Bear 903 is the definition of a straight-A student,” Boak said. “He's also figured out how to adapt to different circumstances and, shall we say, take advantage of opportunities that other bears may not have or probably never have.”

909

  • Daughter of February 2018 winner Beadnose
  • Commonly seen when fishing for salmon
  • Known for his self-care

“As a lonely woman, 909 experienced greater independence and perhaps what people would describe as a lot of self-care this summer. She fished with skill and concentration, qualities reflected in 909's waistline. Her skills, her work ethic and her family.” “The legacy could be passed on to a new litter of kittens next year,” Fitz said.

856

  • Tall man, about 22 years old
  • One of the largest bears in the river
  • High rank in the bear hierarchy.

“He was knocked over, maybe a few pegs. “He’s still one of the fattest bears you’ll see on the river,” Bruce said.

504

  • A mother bear is raising her second known litter
  • Identified as a younger adult in 2014
  • Her young have more time to grow while 504 cares for them for another year

“The thing about 405 and her current litter is that this family has stayed together for four summers,” Fitz said. “Most brown bear mothers separate from their cubs at the beginning of a cub's third or fourth summer. Therefore, it is surprising that this family has not gone their separate ways and is not currently living separate lives.”

32 pieces

  • It was observed that 42 salmon were devoured in 10 hours
  • One of the largest and most dominant bears.
  • Distinctive scar across his snout.

“The only bear that challenged him was last year’s Fat Bear Week champion, 128 Grazer, who I think might also be his biggest challenge in this competition,” Bruce said.

151 Walkers

  • As a former playful cub, he has gained the upper hand this year
  • Knows how to pack on pounds with salmon

“He's never won before, but this year he's giving the big boys a run for their money,” Bruce said.

901

  • About 8 years old
  • She had her first litter last year but unfortunately didn't survive
  • Runner-up of Fat Bear Week 2022

“The knowledge she gained could give her the memory and experience to protect a future litter of kittens,” Fitz said.

164 Bucky

  • About 8 years old
  • He was nicknamed Bucky because of a small dent on his forehead
  • Considered a “social thought leader”

“I think of him as maybe the Thomas Edison of Brooks,” Boak said. “He found a successful fishing spot where no other bear had ever been before, in the falls just below the Lippe.”

How do I vote for Fat Bear Week?

All votes can be cast at fatbearweek.org.

Voters select the bear they want to advance, enter their email address and confirm it is not a robot.

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Which bear won Fat Bear Week 2023?

Last year, a brown bear named 128 Grazer was voted champion by fans.

According to official figures, nearly 1.4 million votes were cast for the bears by people in more than a hundred countries.

It was the first victory for the mom, who has been spotted along the Brooks River in Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve in years. According to the Fat Bear Week website, she has even gained a reputation among fellow bears for being “a particularly defensive mother bear, having successfully raised two litters of cubs.”

“She often preemptively confronts and attacks much larger bears – even large and dominant adult males – to ensure that her cubs are safe,” the website says.

Fat Bear Week is made possible through a partnership between the National Park Service, Explore.org and the Katmai Conservancy.

For more information, check out the live cams on explore.org.

Contributor: Saman Shafiq, Eve Chen, Jordan Mendoza and Camille Fine, USA TODAY

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.

On By John Fenwick

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