Fat Bear Week semi-finals: Bucky Dent vs. Backpack and 132 vs. 910

Only four chunky specimens remain in Fat Bear Week 2026. Two ladies with fascinating backstories, Bear #132 and Bear #910, battle in the first semi-final, while clever big boys Bucky Dent and Backpack face off in the second semifinal.

Voting opens at 12pm EDT and ends at 9pm EDT (9am-6pm PDT, 8am-5pm AKDT). Read more about the bears battling today below and cast your vote at explore.org. The Fat Bear Week champion will be crowned on September 29.

In a battle of the best nicknames at the Brooks River, Bear #89 (Backpack) squares off against Bear #164 (Bucky Dent).

Bear #89 (Backpack) is the 10.5-year-old son of 2019 Fat Bear Week champion and Katmai legend Bear #435 (Holly). He earned his charming nickname because of his habit of climbing on his mother’s back as a cub when the pair navigated the Brooks River waters.

Backpack has had to fight to survive. In 2007 as a yearling, he emerged in the spring with a significant leg injury that prevented him from walking properly. Rangers feared he might not survive the season. But with help from him mom, he recovered and has emerged as a consistent resident at Brooks Falls. He exudes a quiet strength despite his imposing stature, and has not shown aggression towards his competitors. He also prefers to hang out slightly downstream on his favorite rock.

Meet Bear 89 Backpack

Backpack faces tough competition from Bear #164 (Bucky Dent), a 9.5-year-old adult male that is so good at catching fish, he invented a new way to locate them as a subadult bear.

Bucky first appeared in the area in 2019 and rangers do not know the identity of his parents. In 2021 as a relatively smaller subadult bear with lots of competition, he struggled to secure a good fishing spot at the Brooks Falls and River. So to find salmon to eat, he invented a new fishing method. He positioned himself in the deepest plunge pool under the cascade of Brooks Falls. Here, he could catch fish that welled up from the pool below, jumping up through the air, or falling from the falls above. No other bear has used this technique.

Meet Bear 164 Bucky

Now that Bucky Dent ranks among the largest bears, he can fish wherever he wants. Bucky will also not hesitate to use his size to intimidate other bears away from preferred fishing spots, allowing him to move up the bear hierarchy.

Both Backpack and Bucky still have not reached full size, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them battling for the Fat Bear Week title for years to come.

Bear #132 and her cubs vs. Bear #910

Before you ask, yes, not all bears at Katmai get official nicknames. Katmai officials explain: “A designated Bear Monitor observes the bears, notes their physical characteristics, and tracks their behavioral habits. If an adult or subadult bear is seen utilizing the Brooks River on three separate occasions in a single monitoring season, the bear will be assigned a 3-digit ID number.”

So the regulars all get numbers, and nicknames can be used, the National Parks Service doesn’t encourage the practice to avoid humanizing the bears. That all being said, Bear #132 and Bear #910 do have unofficial nicknames given by fans: Bear #132 is sometimes called Spaghetti by fans because she had three “meatballs” this year and Bear #910 gets called Dancing Queen for her signature head toss.

Mama Bear #132 boasts one of Fat Bear Week 2026’s most compelling stories. She faced challenges this summer when one of her spring cubs separated from the family. Bear #132 emerged from slumber this year with three spring cubs, her fourth known litter. Around mid-July, one of her cubs somehow ended up on its own and was later spotted wandering the Brooks River area unaccompanied. The cub tried approaching other families, only to be chased away or ignored.

Cubs without a mother’s protection face numerous threats—attacks from other bears, starvation, and more life-threatening risks. Bear #132’s cub managed to survive and reunited with its family after several days alone.

You can recognize 132 by the inverted V pattern above her muzzle on her forehead. This is her first year competing in Fat Bear Week.

Not to be outdone with captivating stories, Bear #910 has her own. In 2022, 910 blended her family with her sister Bear #909’s family. In the process, she adopted her sister’s 2.5-year-old female yearling cub (a 1- to 2-year-old cub still with its mother), while she herself had a spring cub (a first-year cub that was born over the winter and emerges in the spring). Adoptions like these are exceptionally rare in the wild, and it is believed to be only the second such adoption at Katmai. 

“910 separated from that litter in late spring 2025,” explore.org says of 910. “Since then, she’s lived alone and has used the opportunity to fish where and when she wants. She can fish successfully throughout much of the river including the lip of Brooks Falls. She can be recognized there by her peculiar and frequent head lifts, a quirk of movement that she does not do anywhere else.”

Bear #910 has somewhat short ears and a prominent brow ridge. She made her Fat Bear Week debut in 2025.

Voting opens at 12pm EDT and ends at 9pm EDT (9am-6pm PDT, 8am-5pm AKDT) at explore.org.