Fat Bear Week 2020 crowns 'fat and fabulous' winner

747 beat off stiff competition from second-place Chunk. Credit: National Park Service/N. Boak

There truly is a competition for everything, including the fattest bear at a national park in the USA.

Bear number 747, he doesn't have a name, has been crowned heavyweight champion of the 2020 Fat Bear Week champion.

The annual tournament celebrates the substantially sized bears at Brooks River in Katmai National Park, southern Alaska.

This year's mighty winner won with more than 47,000 votes.

Bear number 747 has been on a bulking regime for the past three months in preparation for winter. Credit: National Park Service/N. Boak

The public weigh in on the decision each year, with the popular vote deciding which bear truly is the fattest.

Described as "fat and fabulous," 747 beat tough competition with number 32, known as Chunk, claiming second place.

Organisers of the tournament say its competitors "exemplify the richness of Katmai National Park and Bristol Bay, Alaska," describing it as "a wild region that is home to more brown bears than people and the largest, healthiest runs of sockeye salmon left on the planet."

It's been a long way to the top of the table for the heavyweight champion. Credit: National Park Service/N. Boak

The bears are at their biggest at this time of year in preparation for their months-long hibernation during the winter.

They lose around a third of their body weight in this time, so bulking up in advance is essential.

The Fat Bear Week helps raise funds for conservation, research, and protection of the park's hefty inhabitants.