It appears there’s a new Steller sea lion on the block, or, should we say, pier, in San Francisco Bay.
A Steller sea lion was seen flexing for the crowds and proudly making his presence known last week, as first reported by KRON4 in San Francisco.
As KTLA 5 in Los Angeles reports, a camera at tourist hotspot Pier 39 caught the barking 10-foot-long pinniped hanging out on a dock among the colony of noisy California sea lions that gathers daily to sunbathe and rest.
To be clear, this sea lion is not Chonkers, the massive pinniped who rose to viral fame after he was first spotted hauling out on the docks on March 13, 2026. This new one is a bit smaller, but he’s still a pretty big boy. He also has visible scarring, setting him apart from Chonkers.
On average, male Steller sea lions are 9.8 feet in length and weigh 1,199 pounds, experts say. In comparison, typical California male sea lions are about 7 feet and 850 pounds. Steller sea lions usually live in colder temperate to subarctic waters north of the North Pacific Ocean along the West Coast up to Alaska, experts said.
They will occasionally pass through San Francisco Bay due to the abundance of bait fish. Also, the Farallon Islands, 30 miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge, is an important marine sanctuary that’s known to be a vital breeding ground and haul-out site for Steller sea lions.
Sue Pemberton with California Academy of Sciences told KRON4 that Steller sea lions “probably followed their California sea lion friends into the harbor there and hauled out on the docks. I’ve been here on the pier working here for 41 years. This is the first time we’ve had this number of visitations from Steller sea lions on Pier 39.”
California sea lions have been lounging around Pier 39 for over 35 years, according to the pier’s website. This new gargantuan pinniped doesn’t have a name yet, but he will soon.
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Photo Credit: Wildnerdpix / Shutterstock.com
