Fat Bear Week is coming!

Who will be the chonkiest of them all?!

The leaves are changing and the crisp autumn air is rolling in, which can only mean one thing...

Fat Bear Week is back!

That's right, every year a special contest named Fat Bear Week is held in Alaska's Katmai National Park in the US, which celebrates the giant furry residents living there.

This year Fat Bear Week takes place from 23-30 September, and Fat Bear Junior, will kick off on 18-19 September.

What is Fat Bear Week?

Two-time champion Grazer is Queen of the forest

Fat Bear Week first began in 2014, and has since become a bit of a global sensation, with more than a million people voting for their favourite bear.

The annual competition is held between a group of brown bears living in Katmai National Park and run by the park's rangers, as a way to help educate people about them.

The aim of the game is to see which Alaskan brown bear has gained the most weight ahead of winter, which will help them as they hibernate.

"It is a way to celebrate the resilience, adaptability and strength of Katmai's brown bears" say Katmai National Park service.

The public are given the opportunity to vote for which bear they think has put on the most weight in a week-long knockout tournament, with the chonkiest champion emerging as victor.

Last year's winner was mother bear Grazer, who has claimed the top spot for two years in a row, but can she make it a third?

What is hibernation, why do bears hibernate?

Bears need to eat lots of salmon to help them to put on weight for winter

Hibernation is a way for animals - such as butterflies, hedgehogs, bears and bats - to survive cold winters without having to hunt for food or move to somewhere warmer.

Instead, they head into cosy dens and go into a sleep-like state for a few months, where they don't eat or drink, and turn down their metabolisms to save energy.

It's very important that brown bears put on lots of weight before winter ahead of hibernation season, as they can lose up to a third of their body weight during this time.

During the summer the bears will eat lots of different foods including salmon, berries, herbs, ground squirrels and roots to help them to bulk up.

The more weight they gain, the better they're likely to do during the cold months.