10 Fat Bears and the Machines I Think They Kinda Look Like

Bears: so fat right now. All summer long, the brown bears who call the Brooks River in Katmai (Alaska) National Park and Preserve home have been stuffing their stomachs with sockeye salmon in preparation for winter hibernation. And thanks to Katmai’s long-running explore.org live cams, millions of people have watched these beefy bruins bulk up with delight. Which brings us to the fifth annual Fat Bear Week.

Beginning today, the bloated beasts of the Brooks River are squaring off against each other, March Madness-style, to determine who is the Fattest Bear of Them All. Voting starts today on Katmai’s Facebook page; the meaty mammal whose photo gets the most likes in each round will be crowned King or Queen Chunkadunk next Tuesday.

Last year’s chubster champ, 409 Beadnose, is nowhere to be found in the 2019 tourney, which opens things up for the field of formidable fatsos, like 775 Lefty and a gordo literally named 747—a moniker that made us realize all of these big-ass bears are dead ringers for our favorite big-ass machines.

So to properly celebrate the glorious Fat Bear Week, here are some of this year’s competitors and the planes, tanks, and other gargantuan vehicles they definitely look like.