Alaska’s Fat Bear week is greater than a little bit of enjoyable—for the animals, dimension is a matter of survival

The most gripping week of the bear calendar has arrived. The Fat Bear Week is an annual on-line competitors hosted by Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. This occasion, which started in 2014 as a one-day celebration, has since grown right into a phenomenon amongst bear fanatics worldwide.

Bears are paired in single-elimination matchups the place individuals can learn their biographies, have a look at their photos and vote based mostly on which bear “exemplifies fatness and success.” So it’s not all about their dimension, but additionally about their life histories.

Why are we celebrating bear chubbiness? Because for brown bears, getting fats is a matter of survival. In just some brief months, they have to bulk as much as put together for a protracted seasonal slumber, after they enter a deep sleep just like hibernation (referred to as torpor), stopping all bodily features, together with consuming, consuming, and eliminating waste, whereas their physique temperature, coronary heart fee, and metabolism lower.

This is particularly exceptional when you think about that some Alaskan or Scandinavian bears would possibly spend seven months of their dens. Even extra spectacular is that, throughout this era, pregnant feminine bears give delivery, lactate and rear the extraordinarily susceptible cubs. This is a important adaptation that enables bears to preserve vitality throughout extended durations of harsh climate and meals shortage. So sure, these additional kilos are a badge of honor.

The bear’s bulking interval is known as hyperphagia, a time when brown bears change into obsessive about discovering the fattiest, sweetest, and most protein-rich meals.

In Europe, they swap their weight loss program in summer time to feast on fruits (particularly berries), onerous mast reminiscent of acorns and nuts, and in addition prey on or scavenge animals. But the true champions of chubbiness are the coastal brown bears of Alaska, with some people tipping the scales at an astonishing 650kg—greater than twice the load of their European cousins.

These giants gorge on calorie-dense salmon, concentrating on the fat-rich roe and brains, and might devour as much as 40 fish a day. That’s a jaw-dropping consumption of 20,000 to over 100,000 energy day by day. The consequence: coastal Alaskan brown bears can achieve greater than 2 kg per day.

But Fat Bear Week is not only about dimension. Voters (about 1.2 million in 2024) are inspired to dive into the life histories of the contenders. Their biographies replicate the harshness of the setting and the fierce competitors for assets and mating success. These bears’ lives inform us tales of loss, grave accidents, and in addition of willpower, adaptability, and perseverance.

A matter of life and demise

Female bears face huge challenges: in the event that they fail to build up sufficient physique fats, they threat dropping whole litters as a result of energetic calls for of cub rearing. Cubs are additionally susceptible to assaults from different bears, significantly males, who might kill infants to get rid of competitors and shorten the mom’s time to her subsequent estrus cycle, rising their very own possibilities of fathering future offspring. Male brown bears haven’t got it simpler.

They endure accidents and even demise when fighting rivals over meals, territory or mates, and should continuously adapt as they develop bigger, older, and face more durable competitors. In this contest, voters might discover themselves rooting for an older feminine elevating her cubs in opposition to the percentages, or an older underdog bear going through off in opposition to youthful, stronger challengers.

Beyond the enjoyable of this on-line competitors, Fat Bear Week helps increase conservation consciousness, assist habitat safety, and foster public engagement with wildlife. But the way forward for bear fattening and hibernation patterns is perhaps formed by local weather change.

Shifts in seasonal timings imply that their key meals assets, reminiscent of berries and salmon, now overlap, and a few bears might switch their diets. This can disrupt ecosystems and probably result in dietary imbalances and behavioral adjustments.

In Spain’s Cantabrian Mountains, hotter winters have led to brown bears remaining active throughout the winter, a dangerous time when meals is scarce and cubs are susceptible.

Conversely, some bears might be displaced to lower-quality areas, inflicting others that presently eat salmon to enter dens earlier and stay inside longer, lacking out on important feeding alternatives.

Fat Bear Week attracts consideration to the significance of preserving wild habitats like Katmai National Park. It’s a superb mannequin of how storytelling and digital media can encourage public stewardship of nature.

This article is republished from The Conversation below a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.