The Fat Bear Week 2025 finalists are the biggest of the baddest but we still love them

Friends, we are back with Fat Bear Week 2025’s final contenders. Today, September 29, we have two matches that you can vote on for the semi-finals, and tomorrow is our final matchup to decide who is the fattest of Fat Bear Week. Voting is open from 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time /12:00 p.m. Eastern Time to 6:00 p.m. pacific / 9:00 p.m. eastern. Vote for your favorites on Explore.org’s Fat Bear Week website.

Now let’s meet our final four ultimate ursines.

Semi-Final Match 1 (vote Sept 29) — Bear 602 versus Bear 32

Bear 602 has exhibited some interesting fishing behaviors this year that have potentially launched him into the forefront of his first Fat Bear Week experience. While most bears show up both in the early and late summer (when the salmon are easiest to catch), Bear 602 first showed up this year on July 7 for all but ten days through September 19. His size meant he could “fish at his leisure,” sometimes sleeping in the river instead of withdrawing and losing his favorite spot, earning himself the nickname “floatato.”

Bear 32, Chunk, is a long-term regular of both the Brooks River and Fat Bear Week. He’s not afraid to use his size to his advantage, but this year, he arrived at the river with a freshly broken jaw (possibly an injury from a fight with another bear). While concerns were raised, Chunk defended his name by making behavioral adjustments, learning to eat the salmon around the injury, and leveraging his large body size to access the best fishing spots.

Semi-Final Match 2 (vote Sept 29) — Bear 128 versus Bear 856

Returning to defend the crown is Bear 128, Grazer! The 2024 Fat Bear Week winner, Grazer is another river regular, first introduced in 2005; 20 years later, she is a mature, confident, and defensive mama bear raising her third litter. This year has her fishing with her yearling (the 2025 Fat Bear Junior winner!) away from Brooks Falls; instead, they pursue easier fishing elsewhere on the river, much to their visible success.

Bear 856 is another large adult male, possibly one of the largest in the park. However, as he ages into his senior years, he’s learning that discretion may be the better part of valor, yielding space to other large bears and bringing patience to his fishing attempts.

But let’s not forget the contestants who may not have advanced in the brackets but still hold a place in our hearts.

Bear 128’s Yearling cub

The winner of Fat Bear Junior this year, Bear 128’s Yearling cub (also called 128 Junior), is the first bracket competitor for the main Fat Bear Week event. First spotted in the spring of 2024, she is often seen in the river with her mother. She’s working on her social skills in addition to fishing, and has been spotted trying to engage other bear cubs and small subadult bears.

Bear 609

Squaring off against 128 Junior is Bear 609, the 2022 Fat Bear Junior champion. At almost 5 years old, she is technically still a sub-adult, although the eldest surviving cub of Bear 909 (who is later in the bracket). After separating from her mom as a cub, 609 joined her aunt 910 (who had her own cub) through her fourth summer in 2024. As of this spring, she has split off on her own and is still establishing her own home territory, but her extra time with her aunt translates to extra time practicing her fishing and social skills.

Bear 503

Bear 503 has some shoes to fill; after separating from his mother, Bear 435 Holly (a former champion) took him in hand. Several years grown, 503 is at the age where he’s reaching peaks in size, strength, and potentially aggression. That said, he is reportedly still social and gets along with other bears, accessing fishing spots without confrontation and approaching bears for greetings (even other dominant males).

Bear 901

Bear 901 is a regular sight, having been first spotted as a subadult in 2018. She is described as “one of the most prominent and recognizable female bears at Brooks River” with her lovely blond trimmed ears and golden-to-grizzled brown fur. Despite her impressive growth, her first litter of cubs in 2023 did not survive. However, the Katmai team has high hopes for her as soon as next year, as greater body fat in female bears usually results in them being better positioned to meet the energy demands of cub-rearing.

Bear 26

Bear 26 is experiencing her first Fat Bear Week appearance this year! She has had a rollercoaster of a time transitioning into motherhood, as her first litter (in 2023) did not survive the summer. However, this year’s new litter shows that Mama Bear learned some lessons as she stays away from the river’s falls. Her new cubs spent the summer growing, and now the autumn food-a-palooza is helping the family prepare for this winter’s hibernation period.

Bear 909

Bear 909 is an adult female that is part of a “living, multi-generational legacy at Brooks River.” She and her sister (Bear 910) are both children of Beadnose (the 2018 Fat Bear Week Champion), and her oldest surviving child (Bear 609) is earlier in the bracket! Her mother’s legacy shows in 909’s and 609’s fishing — both mother and daughter catch salmon from the lip of the falls in the same way as Beadnose.

Bear 99

Bear 99 is an adult male experiencing his first year in the competition, although he is a regular at the Brooks River. He was first introduced to fishing the river by his mother (Bear 39) with siblings 912 and 913 in 2016; however, it wasn’t until 2019 that he received his identification number at roughly 3.5 years old. As an adult, he has the size to compete with other large bears for prime fishing spots on the Brooks Falls.

Bear 910

Bear 910 is another storied creature — daughter to Beadnose, sister to 909 and aunt/foster to 609. Her legacy extends to her first litter of two cubs, which included niece 609 until 2025; now she’s back out on her own and eating enthusiastically without needing to protect a family. This abundance could result in her second litter, although that won’t be confirmed until next summer, so for now she’s ready and willing to compete for the title of Fat Bear Week winner.

All photos courtesy of Katmai Conservancy. Originally published September 23, 2025, updated September 29, 2025