A massive marine intruder has effectively seized control of a major U.S. waterfront, planting itself in prime real estate and daring anyone to do something about it. The roughly 2,000-pound Steller sea lion known as “Chonkers” swam into a popular San Francisco tourist pier about a month ago and has stayed put, instantly becoming a viral attraction. At nearly three times the size of the California sea lions found in the bay, his arrival was impossible to miss—especially when his body slams onto docks with the force of “an oak tree falling down,” according to the Wall Street Journal. Locals and tourists have tracked his every move, packing viewing areas as he lounges, barks, and occasionally launches his one-ton frame out of the water, sending smaller, 700-pound sea lions scrambling. Experts say the oversized visitor likely followed abundant food into the bay. While the species sometimes appears briefly, his extended stay is unusual. “We’re a pit stop, that’s how we saw ourselves,” one marina official said, noting the docks weren’t built for animals his size.
Read it at Wall Street Journal
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