# @nationalparkservice on Instagram - **Type:** Image - **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CyEFUMhuUXr - **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/21021124-nationalparkservice-instagram - **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/486a8fd56f.jpg - **Posted:** 2023-10-06T16:18:35.000+00:00 - **Account Owner:** National Park Service (@nationalparkservice) — https://gondola.cc/nationalparkservice ## Caption Ursa chonkus… Fattening up as winter approaches is a matter of life and death for Alaska’s bears: relying on stored fat for energy, they can lose up to a third of their body fat as they slow down for the winter. The more bulk they put on, the more likely they are to survive the long, cold months. Most of the weight is put on in late summer once bears enter hyperphagia when beach season is almost over. Leptin, the chemical that tells the body it’s full, is suppressed which allows for the bears to eat until it’s time to sleep. Couldn’t do it without the salmon! The fat of the salmon is what allows for such tremendous weight gain in a limited window. During this time the bears practice a technique called high grading. This is where they select the most calorie-dense parts of the fish to eat, such as the brain, skin and roe, leaving the less fatty fillets behind. 🍣 (Apologies to the salmon in that their only emoji shows them already filleted. Rude.) Check out this year’s #FatBearWeek bracket and vote for your favorites at fatbearweek.org Image: A large bear (128 Grazer) standing in the shallow river. NPS/Jimenez @katmainpp #nationalparks #alaska #katmainationalpark #bears #nature #bigdeal #huge ## Stats - **Views:** 0 - **Likes:** 151,014 - **Shares:** 0 - **Comments:** 455 ## Credits | Name | Username | Profile | Role | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | National Park Service | @nationalparkservice | https://gondola.cc/nationalparkservice | Government Organization | ## Tags huge, nature, katmainationalpark, bigdeal, alaska, bears, nationalparks, fatbearweek --- Copyright (c) Gondola