# @nationalparkservice on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DO34dTpjzXP
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/34849576-nationalparkservice-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/0ebd63909d.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-09-21T17:45:47.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** National Park Service (@nationalparkservice) — https://gondola.cc/nationalparkservice

## Caption

Are you ready for #FatBearWeek, where Katmai’s beefiest bruins flaunt their fluff, vying for glory as if they’re the wobbliest, blue-ribbon-winning Jell-O mold at a Midwest state fair?

One of the biggest questions we get during this week is, “How do you weigh the bears?” We get asked a lot of things, but this one is pretty big. Pun definitely intended.

So, how do you weigh the bears? The answer is: once. Just kidding! We could try getting a bear to sit nicely on a scale or just ask them flat-out what they weigh (rude), but good luck finding volunteers for that job. Before you raise your hand saying it’s your destiny, think it over. Who really wants to lug a giant doctor’s scale—one that no one really knows how to use—into the Alaskan wilderness and politely ask a 600-pound grizzly to step on it… before it steps on you? Huh? Anyone? Wow, so many hands are still raised.

Let’s go deeper. In the past, terrestrial LiDAR scanning has been used to calculate estimated volumes of some of the largest bears. However, another tried-and-true method is called “eyeballing it.” Bear with us. Actually, let’s go with “visual estimation” instead. That’s park-speak for eyeing a bear’s big belly, comparing it to, say, a barrel of salmon or a particularly stuffed camper van, and declaring, “That’s a proper unit.” No scales, no tape measures—just years of gawking at chunky bears and guesstimating their size. It’s a gift.

You can practice your best weight-guessing skills starting this week as you vote for your favorite fat bears. Matchups are open for voting from September 23–30, between 12 p.m.–9 p.m. Eastern (9 a.m.–6 p.m. Pacific). Learn more at: explore.org

Image 1: Bear 747, Fat Bear Week Champion 2022. Estimated weight: A lot.

Image 2: 409 Beadnose, Fat Bear Week Champion 2018. Estimated weight. None ya business.

Image 3: 480 Otis was the Fat Bear Week Champion in 2021, adding another crown to his previous three in 2014, 2016, and 2017.

Image 4: Large and in charge, bear 435 Holly was Fat Bear Week champion 2019.

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 157,931
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 593

## Credits

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| National Park Service | @nationalparkservice | https://gondola.cc/nationalparkservice | Government Organization |

## Tags

fatbearweek

---
Copyright (c) Gondola