{"id":297496,"date":"2026-05-03T04:14:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T04:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/297496\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T04:14:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T04:14:15","slug":"giant-sea-lion-chonkers-draws-crowds-to-san-franciscos-pier-39","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/297496\/","title":{"rendered":"Giant sea lion ‘Chonkers’ draws crowds to San Francisco’s Pier 39"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n

He\u2019s getting a “seal” of approval \u2014 and stealing the spotlight.<\/p>\n

A massive sea lion nicknamed “Chonkers,” estimated to weigh between 1,500 and 2,000 pounds, is drawing crowds to San Francisco<\/a>\u2019s Pier 39, where the rare Steller sea lion has been spotted lounging among much smaller California sea lions, according to The Marine Mammal Center.<\/p>\n

The outsized marine mammal<\/a> has quickly become a must-see attraction, with visitors flocking to the popular waterfront destination for a glimpse of the unusually large animal, whose presence is rare compared to the pier\u2019s typical sea lion population.<\/p>\n

The massive sea lion dwarfs the smaller animals that typically crowd the docks.<\/p>\n

APEX PREDATOR THREATENING NORTHWEST SALMON SPARKS RARE BIPARTISAN PUSH TO ‘KILL MORE’<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Chonkers <\/p>\n

Chonkers rests near Pier 31 after a long day of delighting tourists and visitors who came to catch a glimpse of the massive Stellar sea lion. (The Associated Press)<\/p>\n

“He\u2019s like a Volkswagen<\/a>! He\u2019s so huge!” said visitor Oluwaseyi Akinbobola, who rushed to the pier hoping to see the animal after hearing about it.<\/p>\n

Experts estimate Chonkers weighs between 1,500 and 2,000 pounds and likely traveled from waters off Washington or Oregon<\/a>, said Laura Gill, public programs manager at The Marine Mammal Center in nearby Sausalito.<\/p>\n

Visitors snapped photos and gathered along the pier Thursday morning as the enormous sea lion flopped onto the docks, surrounded by dozens of smaller California sea lions that typically inhabit the area.<\/p>\n

THOUSANDS OF MYSTERIOUS SEA CREATURES ‘LITTERING’ COASTAL TOWN: SEE THE PHOTOS<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Chonkers <\/p>\n

Chonkers, a giant Steller sea lion, lies on a dock with other sea lions at Fisherman’s Wharf on April 30. (Haven Daley\/AP)<\/p>\n

The protected docks offer shelter from predators and rough waves, along with an abundant food<\/a> supply including anchovies, herring and rockfish, Gill said.<\/p>\n

“There\u2019s plenty of food in San Francisco Bay for them \u2026 a lot of easy prey for them,” she said.<\/p>\n

Despite his size, the Steller sea lion has been seen attempting to snuggle among the smaller animals for warmth, though he “sticks out like a sore thumb,” Gill said.<\/p>\n

FIRST EMPEROR PENGUIN KNOWN TO REACH AUSTRALIA FOUND ALIVE ON TOURIST BEACH<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Chonkers <\/p>\n

Chonkers, a giant Steller sea lion, sits on a dock at Fishermen’s Wharf in San Francisco on April 30. (Haven Daley\/AP)<\/p>\n

Sea lions have gathered at Pier 39 since shortly after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, whose epicenter was in nearby Santa Cruz County, when a small number of animals began occupying the docks before growing into a well-known tourist attraction.<\/p>\n

Chonkers has been most visible in the early morning hours and can be difficult to spot later in the day, adding urgency for visitors hoping to catch a glimpse.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n

Officials say it remains to be seen whether more Steller sea lions will follow, but for now, the oversized visitor has become an overnight, and perhaps overweight sensation at one of San Francisco\u2019s most popular tourist destinations.<\/p>\n

The Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

Jasmine Baehr is a Breaking News Writer for Fox News Digital, where she covers politics, the military, faith and culture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! He\u2019s getting a “seal” of approval \u2014 and stealing the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":297497,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[7,10801,971,6346,101,103,102,104,106,105,2422,16359],"class_list":["post-297496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-california","tag-fish","tag-lifestyle","tag-mammals","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news","tag-travel","tag-wild-nature"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=297496"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297496\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/297497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=297496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=297496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}