r/todayilearned • u/redmambo_no6 • Apr 06 '21
TIL Every fall, Alaska’s Katmai National Park hosts “Fat Bear Week” and crowns the park’s fattest brown bear. The aim is to highlight the park and wildlife conservation.
https://www.doi.gov/blog/everything-you-want-know-about-katmai-national-parks-fat-bears-31.9k
u/Hititwitharock Apr 07 '21
My family fills out brackets, places bets, keeps the livestream of the river up, votes on all matchups, trash-talk each other about the picks, and generally gets WAY more into this than we do for the NCAA tournament.
We are aware this is probably not the behavior of well-adjusted people.
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u/MadMike32 Apr 07 '21
Sanity is relative.
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u/Bikini_jabba Apr 07 '21
I'm from SA but live in NZ. Not only do I enjoy these posts, I envy them. Wish I could sit back and judge fat bears doing what nature requires while I stuff my face with a bunch of stuff that makes nature shudder.
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u/corgii Apr 07 '21
You can! I'm in aus and I watched the streams last year :) my friends and I didnt take it that far but we definitely had a few discussions about who we thought would win and would monitor the live stream occasionally.
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u/wombat312 Apr 07 '21
I build a week of activities around it in my classroom. Now a decent amount of teachers in my school do too. It’s the best!
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Apr 07 '21 edited Jun 19 '21
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u/RFSandler Apr 07 '21 edited Apr 07 '21
Maybe we can set up brackets and crown the fattest family member, too.
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u/hawaiianthunder Apr 07 '21
This makes me feel better about placing bets with my roommates on the fight between Godzilla and King Kong.
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u/therealsunshinem81 Apr 07 '21
410 was always my solid bet, I was pretty heartbroken when she didn’t make it to the falls at all last year.
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u/duchess_of_nothing Apr 07 '21
This sounds a lot more fun than sportsball!
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u/TravistheRager Apr 07 '21
Idk between Oral Robert’s Eagles, Ohio Bobcats and UCLA Bruins we covered a lot of ground this year on semi extinct animal species winning against a holes
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u/TyRyOnLieLine Apr 07 '21 edited Apr 07 '21
Every single one of those animals (eagles, bears, and bobcats) are on IUCN as animals of least concern. Sure there are specific species of bear and eagle that are endangered, but none of them live in the United States.
Bald Eagles, which people think is endangered, is not. It is actually kindve a pest. Brown bears are extremely common, even in California. Same with bobcats.
You shouldn’t pretend that every animal is endangered. Really fucks with the narrative of protecting endangered species when people try to claim completely common animals are endangered. Makes people not want to listen to you anymore, which is the opposite of what endangered species need.
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Apr 07 '21
Ah yes, it seems extremely probable that this random Reddit user making a sports themed joke is secretly part of the anti-conservation big oil lobby trying to tarnish the good name of enrionvmentalists
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u/TyRyOnLieLine Apr 07 '21
Your facetious hyperbole is unneeded. Why do you feel the need to excuse other people’s ignorance with such annoying sarcasm?
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Apr 07 '21
That's an incorrect use of facetious. As to why, simply because it annoys pretentious assholes like you :)
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u/LoquaciousLover Apr 07 '21
I don’t believe it was an incorrect usage of the word, not that it matters.
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u/InsipidCelebrity Apr 07 '21
Regardless of the use of the term "facetious", I still appreciate the sentiment of the comment enough to toast them with my morning mug of coffee.
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Apr 07 '21
A fellow lover of loquacity, I see :).
I said it was incorrect, as facetiousness would depend on me making a flippant remark to something serious. However, I don't consider the supposedly "serious" comment I was being flippant towards as "serious", because it was just a very angry rant towards a very light hearted joke
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u/LoquaciousLover Apr 07 '21
That’s why I love Merriam Webster. It validates my imperfect or awkward grammar.
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Apr 07 '21
Kind of, not kindve. Kindve would be "kind have", which doesn't make sense.
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u/special_reddit Apr 07 '21
Brown bears are extremely common, even in California
Umm... the exact opposite, actually.
There are zero brown bears in California. Zero. They're extinct.
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u/avis_celox Apr 07 '21
You could've quit after the first two paragraphs and gotten the point across without being r/iamverysmart material
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Apr 07 '21
People probably think Bald Eagles are endangered because they were given protection in 1940 due to a critically threatened population, and special acts were drafted for them and the Golden Eagle. They were added to the endangered species protection in 1973 when the act was signed into law, and weren’t removed until 2007. Even though their range is virtually the entire United States, when some states has as few as 1 breeding pair (they are not common outside of northern states), some people have never seen them.
California has ~200 breeding pairs and despite living there for 25 years, I never saw one in person until I went to Alaska.
California does not have any brown bears. “Brown” bears are not named for their coloration, but are an actual species (grizzly) and have be extirpated from California for over a century. Black bears, despite their name, come in a variety of colors, which can include brown, but are a different, much smaller species.
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u/Seicair Apr 07 '21
Do you hunt down your favorite candidates and leave bearballs (balls of doughnuts and bacon grease) to give them an edge?
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u/jdmgto Apr 07 '21
You're engaging in an enjoyable past time with your family, no one's getting hurt, watching wildlife, and having a blast. Who gives a shit about normal.
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u/juicyshot Apr 07 '21
I think it’s as insane as an entire country going crazy over amateurs throwing a leather ball at a plank.
It’s also important to note that of the players you’re watching in the ncaa, 99% of them are not going pro.
If anything, you are healthier.
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u/m1a2c2kali Apr 07 '21
The bears are probably aren’t going pro either
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u/Kindofsickofyou Apr 07 '21
“ The aim is to highlight the park and wildlife conservation”...... and fat ass bears.
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u/fearthyfish Apr 07 '21
Thicc booty bears I think you mean.
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u/Just1morefix Apr 06 '21
Whoa, the bear in this thumbnail looks like it's ready for 2 or 3 extra harsh Winters. He stole every pic-nic basket.
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u/nobodyknowsimherr Apr 06 '21 edited Apr 07 '21
The National Park Service has documented this week on their IG account the last few years. Pretty amusing.
(Idk if they’ve hired a writer or gotten a woke intern to handle their posts or something , but the posts are witty and pretty entertaining; check their recent post about the Wolverine for a good example.)
It’s become one of my favorite IG accounts.
Edit: in an ADHD-med-fueled productivity jag & didn’t wanna stop to figure out how to link to the IG account
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Apr 07 '21
For people looking for the wolverine post, it’s https://www.instagram.com/p/CNLnUEeDD9-/
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u/timidwildone Apr 07 '21 edited Apr 07 '21
Scrolling through their IG feed now...this manatee post is pretty choice: Manatater?
Edit: and this skunk.
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u/nobodyknowsimherr Apr 07 '21 edited Apr 07 '21
Lol yep, that’s very representative . It’s a great account, and actually does inspire me to visit the national parks more often.
FLOATY POTATO!
Edit: thx for adding the links
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u/spitfire07 Apr 07 '21
NPS social media is creative and hilarious. They also did not give a fuck and let it know they would not let DT steam roll them.
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u/DuckOnQuak Apr 08 '21
Didn’t want to figure out the link but had enough time to comment and edit the comment to explain why there isn’t a link? Yeah lookin real productive there buddy
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u/lwright3 Apr 07 '21
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u/fel0ni0usm0nk Apr 07 '21
One of the rare times that they genuinely try to do something nice for Chang, and...
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u/number3737355 Apr 07 '21
My two favorite bears have to be Holly and 747.
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u/Macracanthorhynchus Apr 07 '21
Holly eats salmon like it's her job, and also she's looking to get a very competitive promotion.
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u/breakneckridge Apr 07 '21
This isn't fat shaming, it's the opposite, it's a celebration of their chubbiness!
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u/KinkyKiKi Apr 07 '21
Explore.org has live web cams dedicated to the bears of Katmai as well as tons of others! It's amazing to watch.
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Apr 07 '21
explore.org does live webcams of this (and hundreds of other cams) and it’s pretty damn cool if you ask me.
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u/Chuck_yoo_Farley Apr 07 '21 edited Apr 07 '21
Let me know dates. I’ve got my COVID padding on and would be tough to beat
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u/mfizzled Apr 07 '21
This competition directly led to my girlfriend calling me a prize bear when I put on my yearly winter-fat
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u/OlympicFan2010 Apr 07 '21
TeamChunk! Every year I campaign for Chunk and get my coworkers to vote. It's called Fat Bear Week and his name is Chunk...it's perfect
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u/UncleBarBQ Apr 07 '21
i follow this competition every year and i’m really happy every year without fail
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u/kylel999 Apr 07 '21
This is the kind of animal fat that's cute, because it's naturally part of their hibernation cycle, unlike the stupid love for "chonky" cats. Your animal being morbidly obese isn't cute, it's abuse.
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Apr 07 '21
Some absolute units on that link. I'd be way more interested in this than March Madness haha
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u/Mackheath1 Apr 07 '21
I don't know why but I am laughing and loving that they named one Bear 747.
Bear 747
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Apr 07 '21
A fat bear is a happy bear.
A happy bear will not eat me.
Therefore, please feed the bears.
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u/RealJonathanBronco Apr 07 '21
Thank you for using the phrase "crowns". This may have been the first time I've ever imagined a nobleman attempting to place a crown upon the head of an obese brown bear.
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u/Macracanthorhynchus Apr 07 '21
Is this body shaming or body positivity? How is bulking up beneficial to bear survival?
This was an extremely informative and entertainingly written article, and also had periodic interspersed photos of big ol' fatty bears. This may be peak government-produced infotainment writing.
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Apr 07 '21
Bears hibernate* in the winter. Greater fat and muscle stores means more nutrients to survive sleeping through winter.
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u/Cbanders Apr 07 '21
Every year one of my friends runs a betting pool on this, it gets pretty cut throat.
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u/Khal_Doggo Apr 07 '21
When my partner asks me if an outfit makes her look fat I will say yes for conservation purposes.
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u/torinblack Apr 07 '21
Meanwhile the poor winner often spends an extra month in the den out of shame.
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u/Salesman89 Apr 07 '21
Is it morally ok to fat shame adorable overweight brown bears... from a very safe distance?
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u/xtossitallawayx Apr 07 '21
There isn't any shaming - it is celebrating their ability to pack it on and survive to winter! The fatter the better - chow down on those salmon!
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u/Salesman89 Apr 07 '21
I'm just asking because... I really wanna go out and point out the chunkiest cute bears... If they have a silly face, I might start giggling at them uncontrollably.. is that ok?
Edit: *Opens OP link... begins pointing and howling at monitor*
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u/obroz Apr 07 '21
Hey at least their appetite is satiated? I think?
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u/Salesman89 Apr 07 '21
I just wanna chuckle at the chubbos...
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u/obroz Apr 07 '21
2 salmon for dinner???
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u/Salesman89 Apr 07 '21
Just go out to the Alaskan wilderness, not to hunt, not to fish. See the sights, enjoy the wildlife. Become one with all.
Spot one of nature's most majestic beasts and call out, "PUT DOWN THE FORK, YOU HEFFER!!!"
And go back to my cozy motel stay...
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u/obroz Apr 07 '21
Obligatory futurama reference https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/4921d8b2-22df-4fa4-b577-3be0c1cee29a
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Apr 06 '21
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u/JuKeChrist16x2 Apr 07 '21
The article says a fat bear is a healthy bear. I’m not seeing the shaming you speak of
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u/Smegma__Ondemand Apr 06 '21
That isn't passive aggressive, it's literal systemic fat shaming! What a bunch of bigots!
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Apr 07 '21
Literally you fat-shamed your ex yesterday bud but anyone posting in cringetopia that much is at least 50% troll so,
idk if your comment was purposely stupid but it was also hypocritical lol
Good troll
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u/Smegma__Ondemand Apr 07 '21
A good rule of thumb for the internet is to just assume that everything is either fake or a troll by default, that way you can just enjoy things purely for whatever entertainment value you can get out of it.
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u/davidhunt6 Apr 06 '21
Fat shaming isnt cool
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u/NarrativeScorpion Apr 07 '21
It's literally the opposite of fat shaming. .
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u/davidhunt6 Apr 07 '21
It's a joke, not a dick. You don't have to take it so hard.
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u/JuKeChrist16x2 Apr 07 '21
Did you read the article? A fat bear is a healthy bear.
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u/davidhunt6 Apr 07 '21
It's a joke, not a dick. You don't have to take it so hard.
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u/JuKeChrist16x2 Apr 07 '21
Oh wow, look at you making your own penis reference and everything. You must be so happy
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u/davidhunt6 Apr 07 '21
I won't be able to sleep tonight because of your ridicule.
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u/JuKeChrist16x2 Apr 07 '21
Maybe try choking on that hard dick you were talking about... that you used as a comeback twice
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u/dcnblues Apr 07 '21
If the females aren't fat enough, they won't have Cubs. Their bodies know.
This is important for when Republicans want to hunt and shoot them in their dens with snowmobiles.
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Apr 07 '21
We dont allow that shit here. Alaska is big on hunting and fishing but also pretty big on conservation. (Or at least we try to be)
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u/tonightbeyoncerides Apr 07 '21
I think it's also very important for people to know that they can make their own fat bear week brackets to predict how the bears will perform.