Fat Bear Week: Check out America's greediest grizzlies

Defending champion Otis, who weighs more than 450kg, does not let his missing teeth stop him from chowing down on fish

435 Holly. Photo: NPS Photo

747. Photo: NPS Photo

284. Photo: NPS Photo

128 Grazer. Photo: NPS Photo

151 Walker. Photo: NPS Photo

32 chunk. Photo: NPS Photo

Otis the bear weighs more than 450 kilograms. Reuters

Bear 747 was named after the jumbo airliner. Photo: of L Law

Bear 856 is one of the most dominant bears in his habitat in Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Photo: L Law

Bear 164 was first identified as a sub-adult in 2019 and is about 6 years old. Photo: T Carmack

Otis the bear has won Fat Bear week four times. Photo: L Law

This photo shows a rotund Bear 901 as voters select the fattest bear in Alaska. Photo: L Law

Bear 854, named Divot, hunts for salmon in the river. Photo: K Moore

Bear 435, named Holly, is just 2.5 years old. Photo: E Johnston

This photograph shows a slimmed-down version of Bear 435. Photo: T Carmack

Bear 335 is from Holly the bear's most recent litter, the NPS said. Photo: K Moore

Bear 32, named Chunk, is one of the most dominant bears in the falls, the US National Park Service said. Photo: L Law

Bear 32 searches for fish in the river. Photo: L Law

Bear 151 hopes to catch a fresh salmon as it bulks up for winter. Photo: L Law

Bear 854, named Divot, prowls the falls in Alaska. Photo: K Moore

Bear 128, named Grazer, is one of the more dominant female bears in the falls, the NPS said. Photo: L Law

Bear 128, like all of Alaska's brown bears, has put on considerable weight before hibernation season. Photo: L Law

This photo shows a slimmed-down Otis. Photo: C Rohdenberg

Bear 856 is about 20 years old. Photo: C Rohdenberg

This photo shows a slimmed-down Bear 747. Photo: C Rohdenberg

Votes are being cast in the US to determine which bear will win Fat Bear Week 2022. Photo: T Carmack

More than 800,000 votes were cast in last year's Fat Bear Week. Photo: T Carmack

Bear 335 struts around Katmai National Park in Alaska. Photo: T Carmack

Leaner times: Otis the bear stands in a river at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Reuters

Otis, known for his flappy right ear, does not let his missing teeth deter him from chowing down on fresh salmon. Reuters

Brown bear cub 128, front, stands by a river fattening up before hibernation at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Reuters

Brown bear cub 909 is getting ready for hibernation season by fattening up before its months-long rest. Reuters

Brown bear 503 stands in a river hunting for salmon to fatten up before hibernation at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Reuters

Brown bear 128 stands in a river hunting for salmon. Reuters

Brown bear 435. Grizzlies are omnivores that also gorge on berries. Reuters

Brown bears used to roam widely across the US. Now they are found only in Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. AP

Autumn is bulking-up season for Alaska's bears, with the burly bruins consuming as much as 225 kilograms of fresh fish before they hibernate for the winter.

Now, Americans will vote for the grandest of them all during Fat Bear Week.

The annual competition will see thousands of people fixated on webcams as they watch Alaska's brown bears, also known as grizzly bears, devour tonnes of salmon as they get ready to bed down for the cold season.

The event will also give visitors the opportunity to learn more about the bears and have a better understanding of Katmai National Park's ecosystem.

“Fat Bear Week is a celebration of success and survival. It is a way to celebrate the resilience, adaptability and strength of Katmai’s brown bears,” the national park said.

In a league-style competition, voters will select the bears that appear to have packed on the most weight before winter.

This year's competition features some heavy hitters, including defending champion Otis. Known for his floppy right ear, Otis does not let his missing teeth stop him from chowing down on fish. This four-time Fat Bear Week champion weighs in at more than 450kg.

But Bear 747 — named after the jumbo aircraft — could dethrone the defending champion. Bear 747, a Fat Bear Week winner himself, is near the top of the hierarchy in Brook Falls, Alaska, because of his gargantuan size.

Then there is Bear 856, whose “only real competition” in Brook Falls is Bear 747, the national park said.

Few scars blemish this bear's dark autumn coat, suggesting that his towering presence wards off would-be combatants.

The competition began in 2014, with a modest 14,000 ballots cast. But that figure soared to more than 800,000 votes last year.

Voting this year runs through October 11, when the ultimate ursine will be announced.