A large sea lion drew crowds to Pier 39 monday, with many assuming he was the viral sensation Chonkers, a Steller sea lion.
Brontë Wittpenn/S.F. Chronicle
A large sea lion lounges among a pod of others at Pier 39 in San Francisco on Monday, May 4. Many onlookers incorrectly assumed it was the viral Steller sea lion nicknamed Chonkers, but a Pier 39 representative and a marine mammal experts said it was not.
Brontë Wittpenn/S.F. Chronicle
Missing: One 2,000-pound sea lion. Last seen at Pier 39.
A jumbo-size San Francisco pinniped that rose to stardom with the nickname Chonkers hasn’t been spotted in days, officials said, disappointing tourists, locals and Chronicle staff photographers who have been on the lookout for him. Last week he even stood up the mayor.
But maybe on the plus side, Chonkers’ departure has left a wide berth at the famed pier for another very large sea lion to fill.
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Chonkers is a Steller sea lion, a species roughly three times the size of the California sea lions more commonly seen at Pier 39. He lives farther out in the ocean, but has briefly visited Fisherman’s Wharf every year or two, according to Pier 39 spokesperson Sue Muzzin. In the past, he has rarely stayed long enough to make a lasting impression, let alone earn a nickname.
“This year, that he stayed for a month to six weeks is very unusual,” Muzzin said.
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Visitors took notice. They posted admiring pictures of the massive girth he’d lugged through the bay. They called him an “absolute unit.” They wondered if he was “medically OK.”
The real Chonkers, pictured here, is a Steller sea lion, a species roughly three times the size of the California sea lions more common at Pier 39.
Courtesy of Pier 39
Muzzin has fielded more media inquiries than ever before from outlets across the world, and a webcam for the sea lions that averages 2,000 daily views drew 15,000 after a Wall Street Journal article.
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The reason for Chonkers’ extended stay could be the large number of anchovies and fish in the Bay this season, Muzzin said: “He’s a big boy, and they eat.”
As Chonkers went off to hunt during the day, he grew elusive. But after several failed attempts by Chronicle photographers, Brontë Wittpenn was sure she finally had Chonkers in her lens on Monday.
There on the floating dock slumbered a sea lion of considerable heft. About 30 others at the pier thought the same, including a group on a girls’ trip from Scotland and several other professional photographers.
Wittpen spent an hour snapping photos of the snoozing sea lion, waiting for him to wake up and do something.
“Any time the seal did anything, like twitch, or lift its head, people would start cheering,” she said.
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A large sea lion lounges among a pod of sea lions at Pier 39 in San Francisco on Monday, May 4. Onlookers, including a Chronicle photographer, mistakenly believed it to be Chonkers.
Brontë Wittpenn/S.F. Chronicle
But when she finally filed her photos, concerns arose among Wittpenn’s editors. Had Chonkers lost weight? Was his fur a bit lighter?
“That’s not Chonkers,” Pier 39 spokesperson Sue Muzzin said definitively when she reviewed the images.
The real Chonkers hadn’t been seen in days, and may be gone for the season.
“We really don’t want him to leave,” Muzzin said. “I’ve just gotten accustomed to him.”
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Pier 39 has even added new signs to advertise Chonkers as their latest attraction.
Signs advertise Chonkers the Steller sea lion, who has not been seen for several days in San Francisco.
Brontë Wittpenn/S.F. Chronicle
“I’m devastated,” Wittpenn said dryly of the confusion. “I feel lied to.”
Adam Ratner of the Marine Mammal Center, a rescue organization that works with Pier 39, confirmed the sea lion was not a Steller at all, but a very large adult male California sea lion. One indication was the large crest on its head.
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Until Chonkers returns, the new sea lion will have to do. He may be smaller, but he is still quite big.
Yet he, too, is not long for the pier. Like the rest of the mature male California sea lions now lounging in San Francisco, he will leave in about three weeks for the Channel Islands to breed.