Otis was deemed the winner of his fourth Fat Bear Week title at Katmai National Park and Preserve/NPS

He's big, brown, and possibly part porcine, for how else could 'Otis,' the bear with the missing canines and well-worn remaining teeth, the one who showed up late for the feast, claim his fourth Fat Bear Week title at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska?

Well, his age apparently carries wisdom for the bear, who gained 51,230 votes from the public vs. the 44,384 'Walker' collected in their pound-to-pound battle. Otis didn't waste time battling other bears for the best fishing hole; instead, he usually just waited for his to open up.

480 Otis was four to six years old when he was first identified in 2001, and he’s now one of the older bears at Brooks River. As bears age, they experience a variety of challenges and 480 Otis is no exception. In particular, he is missing two canine teeth and many of his other teeth are greatly worn. 480 Otis must also compete with younger and larger bears who want access to his fishing spots. 480 Otis is more likely to be displaced by these bears than he is to displace them.

Still, he recognizes that patience is a successful strategy. 480 Otis rarely makes an effort to chase salmon like younger, more energetic bears. Once access to his preferred fishing spots becomes available, he takes advantage of the opportunity while expending little energy. While 480 Otis occasionally appears to be napping or not paying attention, most of the time he’s focused on the water, and he experiences a relatively high salmon catch rate as a result.

480 Otis returned to Brooks River later than usual in 2021. Yet, he quickly made up for lost time by utilizing his patience and mastery of fishing. He was the inaugural Fat Bear Tuesday champion in 2014 and Fat Bear Week champion in 2016 and 2017.--National Park Service

Walker is no slouch, though. According to the park staff, he "ranks among the river’s largest bears and he’s become less tolerant of other bears, including some of his former playmates. With his increased body size and a more assertive disposition, 151 Walker is a more dominant bear compared to his younger days. His actions demonstrate that the behavior of bears can vary considerably over their lifetimes. 151 Walker was estimated to weigh about 1,000 pounds in September 2020, but appears to be larger this year."

The fall ritual, which debuted in the park back in 2014, pits the brown bears who dine at Brooks River in a "March Madness" type format, with voters choosing their favorite bruins to move on in the competition during Fat Bear Week. 

Though it revolves around a game, bears take this week (and others in the fall) seriously. According to park wildlife biologists, the bears can down upwards of 30 sockeye salmon per day, with each fish containing about 4,500 calories. The pounds they pack on are needed to get them through their long winter hibernation, when they don't eat or drink and their respiration can fall to one breath a minute with a companion heart rate of 8-19 beats per minute.

The competition, which attracted about 800,000 votes this year, was created as a way to educate the public on the park's brown bears and the environment they call home. Supporting the National Park Service in the endeavor are the Katmai Conservancy and explore.org, which livestreams bears fishing in the river.