A 2,000-pound sea lion moved in and won't leave

A Steller sea lion estimated at 1,500 to 2,000 pounds hauled himself onto the floating docks at San Francisco's Pier 39 and, over the past month, refused to leave. Locals named him Chonkers. Fox News reports his Instagram debut drew a fan base within days. One visitor from Los Angeles, already running late, detoured just to see him. "He's like a Volkswagen! He's so huge!" she told KQED. Pier 39 has hosted sea lions since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, but those are compact California sea lions, roughly half his size. NOAA lists the western Steller population as endangered, so an animal this large and healthy is genuinely significant. Harbor master Sheila Chandor, who has worked the pier since 1985, said the anchovy season keeps him close. Laura Gill of the Marine Mammal Center watched him try to snuggle with the smaller sea lions for warmth. "He's trying to fit in, but he sticks out like a sore thumb," she said.