Honky Chonk Beardonkadonk It’s time! Fat Bear Week is kinda a BIG deal. For bears, fat equals survival. Each winter, bears enter the den where they will not eat or drink until they emerge in spring. During this time, they may lose up to one-third of their body weight as they rely solely on their fat reserves. Survival depends on eating a year's worth of food in six months. This year, #FatBearWeek starts on October 5 and concludes on Fat Bear Tuesday, October 11. All bears are winners but only one true champion will emerge. In addition to voting to see which tanking tummy reigns supreme, there will be a series of online chats on explore.org featuring Mike Fitz, explore.org's resident naturalist, and rangers from @katmainpp. Image: Got it goin' on like Donkey Kong. A large bear sitting in the waters at Katmai. #bigdeal #bear #alaska #octobear