Texas has crowned its fattest squirrel of 2026, and the winner is a round little rodent named Chungus who calls Cooper State Park's Doctors Creek Unit home. The bushy-tailed champ beat out 15 other state park squirrels in bracket-style voting that ran from October 18 through October 23, spanning six calendar dates, to claim the title of Fat Squirrel Week winner, edging out a finalist from central Texas in what organizers called an extremely tight race.
According to MySA, Chungus hails from Cooper State Park's Doctors Creek Unit in Delta County, northeast of Dallas, a detail also confirmed by FOX 7 Austin. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department crowned Chungus the winner on Friday, capping a bracket that kicked off Oct. 18 with 16 squirrel contestants vying for the title, per the same station's report. Fat Squirrel Week is an annual social media competition between Texas state parks, with each park entering its own squirrel representative, FOX 7 Austin notes.
A Dumpster-Diving Underdog Takes the Crown
Chungus's path to glory had a decidedly humble setting. As reported by NBC DFW, the champion squirrel was spotted coming from behind the Lone Pine Boat Ramp Dumpster at Cooper State Park near Commerce. In the finals, Chungus beat Squirrelly Temple, a representative of Fort Parker State Park south of Mexia and east of Waco, according to FOX 7 Austin's coverage of the closing vote.
Fans cast their votes by liking, commenting on and tagging friends on their favorite squirrel photos posted by the state park system, per MySA's reporting. Texas Parks and Wildlife described the finish as ever so close, and per the department, Chungus ultimately won by a dimple. For now, the prize is purely bragging rights, though NBC DFW reports organizers are weighing a traveling trophy or even a championship belt for future contests — one official told the station, “The best I could come up with was bragging rights.”
How the Bracket Narrowed to Two
Getting to the final wasn't easy in a field that started with 16 chunky contenders. The bracket format sent the eight first-round winners into the quarterfinals, followed by the semifinals and the championship round, according to the Beaumont Enterprise. Along the way, Slim Shady Pines, representing Bastrop and Buescher State Parks, and Chonky, representing Guadalupe River State Park, both reached the semifinals before falling to the eventual finalists Chungus and Squirrelly Temple, per MySA.
The 2026 bracket also included a stacked final four beyond the eventual finalists. The 2026 final four fluffballs were Chungus, Squirrelly Temple, Slim Shady Pines, and Chonky. The 2025 final four included Chunk Norris, Nutella, and Stanley “The Texas Tank,” CBS News Texas reported. Chunk Norris was no stranger to the spotlight, having placed as a finalist in the inaugural 2025 contest as well, as noted by UPI.
Following in Chunkosaurus Rex's Footsteps
Chungus now joins a short but memorable list of Fat Squirrel Week champions. Last year's inaugural title went to Chunkosaurus Rex of Dinosaur Valley State Park near Glen Rose, who defeated Chunk Norris in the first-ever final, according to NBC DFW's recap of the 2025 contest. The competition itself borrows its format and spirit from Alaska's Fat Bear Week at Katmai National Park, a connection both NBC DFW and MySA note in their coverage.
The whole event centers on a very real seasonal behavior: squirrels getting ready for winter by gathering nuts, stuffing their cheeks and building up body mass, as Audacy reported when the contest launched. For Texans following along on social media, that biology translated into a week of viral squirrel photos and good-natured rivalry between state parks statewide.
Reaction online was enthusiastic, with commenter Danielle Tank writing, “I knew Chungus was going all. the. way!!!!” Another fan, Cody Stark, wrote, “This was too awesome! Thanks for doing this TPWD!” according to MySA's report on the contest's close.
