An intrepid sea lion nicknamed Chonkers is making his way into the hearts of tourists and residents who have flocked in large numbers to San Francisco’s Pier 39 to get a close-up look at the massive animal.
On Thursday morning, visitors snapped photos as the Steller sea lion sprawled out on the pier, surrounded by dozens of California sea lions—which are much smaller—that make their home on the docks.
“He’s like a Volkswagen! He’s huge!” said Oluwaseyi Akinbobola, a visitor from Los Angeles. She explained that she had a spare half-hour, so she rushed down to the pier in hopes of catching a glimpse of Chonkers. “I’ve heard about this giant sea lion everywhere, and I like looking at things, so I decided to come see him.”
Chonkers likely arrived from the north—from the coasts of Washington or Oregon—and is estimated to weigh between 680 and 900 kilograms (1,500 and 2,000 pounds), noted Laura Gill, Public Programs Manager at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. Chonkers is one of the few Steller sea lions to have ventured as far as the pier, which offers protection from predators and heavy surf, as well as an abundant variety of prey.
“They have plenty of food in San Francisco Bay: fish, rockfish, anchovies, herring—there’s lots of easy prey,” she explained.
The massive sea lion, first spotted last month, has brought the community together, observed Danielle Ovadia, a San Francisco resident. “He’s so adorable, and he is literally gigantic,” she said.
Sea lions have become synonymous with the popular tourist pier, yet they did not begin gathering there until after the 1989 earthquake, according to the marina. A solitary male suddenly found himself accompanied by many more individuals, and by February 1990, the population already numbered more than 300 animals.
