Oct. 27 (UPI) — Rotund rodents from across the state of Texas competed in Texas Parks and Wildlife’s inaugural Fat Squirrel Week, with a squirrel named Chunkosaurus Rex taking the top spot.
Fat Squirrel Week, inspired by Katmai National Park’s annual Fat Bear Week, aimed to find the fattest squirrel across all of the Texas State Parks.
Chunkosaurus Rex, a resident of Dinosaur Valley State Park in the Glen Rose area, was crowned the competition’s first-ever winner after a bracket-style competition using social media likes as votes.
Chunkosaurus Rex faced off in the finals against Chunk Norris from Fort Richardson State Park, after fellow final-four squirrels Nutella from Lake Mineral Wells State Park and Stanley “The Texas Tank” from Cleburne State Park were eliminated.
“Chunkosaurus is a fan favorite at Dinosaur Valley State Park, moving surprisingly fast in the quest for acorns and camper crumbs,” Texas Parks and Wildlife said on social media.
The contest was aimed at celebrating Texas’ native rodents as they packed on the pounds for winter.
“Dinosaur Valley is proud to be the home of this behemoth! We appreciate all the support for Chunkosaurus Rex during this hard fought battle,” Dinosaur Valley State Park said on social media.