Other bears capitulate when bears show up. The people move out of the way.
He is that large. He's the one who dominates. The public voted him the champion of Fat Bear Week in 2022, the annual celebration of the success of these animals.
Many veteran fat bears were upset by the bulky sow who upset them during the tournament. Both former winners and younger contestants were involved in the competition. The girth of the plane is unparalleled.
A park Ranger once said that bear 747 was more of a hippopotamus than a bear. He tips the scale at 1,400 pounds, making him the largest bear ever seen. He ate a lot of fish this year. He's too fat to walk. He's big when he comes out of his shell. He's won Fat Bear Week two times. The bear is getting even larger as it gets older.
The population of bears that feast on salmon in the summer keeps getting bigger and bigger, according to Mike Fitz, a former park Ranger who is now a resident astronomer for explore.org. Over the course of a few hours, Fitz has watched 747 eat some 67,000 calories.
This is not a joke for a wild bear. survival is what it is A fat bear is in good shape. A place with a biologically healthy environment that teems with jaw-dropping runs of sockeye salmon is home to bears like 747 who combine their size and fishing prowess.
A fat bear is a healthy bear.
The salmon run will die out in a few months and the winter will loom large. He puts on a lot of weight. It's in the pudding.
Left: June 2022 Credit: Photo courtesy of C. Rohdenburg
Right: September 2022 Credit: Photo courtesy of L. Law
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There is a distinction between being the fattest bear of the river and being the fattest bear in the entire world. The most dominant is him.
He is on top of the bear hierarchy. The other bears will give up their fishing territory to him. This makes it possible for a huge bear to maintain and amplify his dominance. Size is important in the world of bears. Bears are not the most aggressive. His large body makes him talk.
"Although dominant bears can maintain their rank in the hierarchy through aggression, 747 usually keeps his status by sheer size alone," says explore.org. Bears yield space upon his approach because they know they can't compete with him.
The most dominant bear in the river last year was bear 856, who was a regular competitor in Fat Bear Week. The fat bear hierarchy was changed because 856 had ruled the river for about a decade. bear 856 was displaced by bear 856 on the explore.org cameras. Brown bears intimidate with bold posturing as opposed to brawling and hurting themselves. In the summer of 2022, bear 856 asserted its dominance over bear 74. It would give space to 856.
By the end of the summer, that reversed. The territory of 856 began to beceded to the other side.
"None of this would happen without the fish."
It's not a physical fight. One that is currently in the lead. Fitz thinks they have never tangled physically. It shows how important it is to be familiar with something. They're familiar with each other. They probably know that a fight is pointless.
They have a lot of larger fish to fry. The bears get some 4,500 calories from each salmon dish. Millions of calories are consumed over the course of summer and fall. The salmon run the show, even though the fat bears get all the attention.
In the summer, tens of millions of salmon return to Alaska. The number of fish allowed to escape up the rivers is regulated by the state. There are hundreds of thousands of fish swimming up the river. Because it is conserved, it is able to thrive. The wilderness is in great shape. The bears are the winner.
Fitz said that this wouldn't happen without the fish.
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