Fat Bear Week katmainpp is almost here! For bears, fat equals survival. Which is fortunate, because bears are exceptionally good at becoming fat. As winter approaches, bears enter hyperphagia, a period of intense eating when they spend much of their time packing on pounds. They gorge on calorie-rich foods, including salmon, berries, grasses, and other foods, building up the fat reserves that will fuel them through winter. Fat is the fuel that gets bears through winter. During the colder months, a bear’s metabolic rate drops dramatically, allowing it to survive largely by living off its accumulated fat reserves. Same. Over winter, a bear may lose up to one-third of its body weight. Not the same. So, Fat Bear Week may look like a competition for who is the biggest bear, but underneath all that magnificent chonk is a serious survival strategy. fatbearweek exploreorg katmaiconservancy NPS Photos: Bear bums and bellies of past competitors.