It\u2019s a sight to behold \u2014 the 1-ton sea lion peeking his head out of the water in San Francisco Bay and triggering a panic as other sea lions hustle to get out of the way.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a lot of barking, and suddenly the big fella hops onto the wood platform, sending the other pinnipeds jostling for a new spot in the sun or diving back into the water.<\/p>\n
At Pier 39, the sea lion known as \u201cChonkers\u201d is king, and his sheer size and proximity to a major tourist hub has made him a beloved viral animal obsession, on par with recent celebrities Moo Deng<\/a> and P-22<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw on the news about Chonkers in Atlanta, Ga., and I came all the way to San Francisco to see him,\u201d one visitor told CBS News.<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m looking for the big one,\u201d another person said. \u201cLooking for Chonkers.\u201d<\/p>\n Chonkers is a Steller sea lion, which is a heftier variety of the species compared to his California sea lion counterparts.<\/p>\n According to experts at the Marine Mammal Center, he and the other sea lions arrived in the bay in mid-March, following prey including anchovies and rockfish.<\/p>\n He has attracted interest on online forums like Reddit, where users are posting photos<\/a> and videos<\/a> of him sunning and scratching his belly with his flippers next to the other sea lions.<\/p>\n \u201cThey figured out that in the bay they\u2019re away from their predators like the great white shark and orca whales,\u201d Laura Gill, public programs manager at the Marine Mammal Center, explained in a social media post discussing<\/a> Chonkers and his ilk. \u201cAnd the docks themselves are a huge draw … it\u2019s kind of the ideal pit stop as they\u2019re migrating along the coast.\u201d<\/p>\n Male Steller sea lions weigh up to 2,500 pounds and reach 11 feet in length with a lifespan of 20 to 30 years, and females can grow to be 9 feet long and weight 1,000 pounds, according to the Marine Mammal Center website<\/a>. <\/p>\n Chonkers is from the Eastern population group of Steller sea lions along the U.S. and Canadian coast, according to the center. His presence is particularly special because Steller sea lions haven\u2019t been spotted at Pier 39 since 2023, the center said.<\/p>\n \u201cChonkers the Steller sea lion is back at Pier 39 today!\u201d one Reddit user posted<\/a> in March. \u201c… lounging at the back. Come and get a glimpse of him before he swims away.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019d have 20 Twitter accounts in better times,\u201d another Reddit user commented in response to the post.<\/p>\n The marine animal\u2019s newfound fame is not unlike that of other creatures that became a cultural phenomenon. In 2024, the pygmy hippo Moo Deng <\/a>in Thailand captured hearts around the world with her water splashing, knee-biting antics spreading like wildfire on TikTok and other platforms. A decade earlier, photos of P-22, a Southern California mountain lion, caught the public\u2019s imagination with his furry face and urban L.A. background.<\/p>\n