They named the largest species of sea lion, eagle and sirenian (manatee/dugong) after Steller, so I was curious what his story was.
Steller was the doctor (the Stephen Maturin figure) on Virus Bering's second expedition to Kamchatka, and Bering seemed like a real dumbass
It’s now 24/7 coverage of Chonkers on the national media outlets: Chonkers the ‘Food-Motivated’ Sea Lion Plops Into San Francisco www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/u...
A very large #sealion is drawing onlookers to a pier popular among both other sea lions and tourists in #SanFrancisco, wowing visitors and catapulting him to online fame. His name? #Chonkers — because, well, he is #chonky.
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/u...
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“He’s kind of out of the ordinary. He is probably just very food-motivated. Chonkers is kind of just working smarter and not harder,” she added, “trying to find the easy, safe place where there’s less competition, less predators.”
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/u...
In a more comedic highlight, we're excited to see some fellow sea lions taking over the national news and winning the hearts of the nation! Meet Chonkers, a pretty stellar sea lion if we say so... 🤣 🦭
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/us/chonkers-sea-lion-san-francisco.html?smid=url-share
Chonkers the ‘Food-Motivated’ Sea Lion Plops Into San Francisco
Wildlife experts have been tracking the Steller sea lion since he appeared last month at a popular tourist spot near the end of Fisherman’s Wharf.
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/u...
