[2][3][4] Otis was first sighted at Brooks Falls in 2001, at which point he was 4-6 years old.
He also tended to avoid conflict with other bears, leading him to be called a "zen master".
[5][6][7] In 2019, Otis was estimated to weigh 900 pounds as he entered hibernation.
[9] One ranger noted in 2023, "if you see a bear with a floppy left ear, who’s pretty old and he’s got like two teeth, that is definitely 480".
Given his age, rangers suspected he had died, but noted it was also possible he had chosen to summer elsewhere in Katmai.