A massive snapping turtle resting on a bed of rusting chains in the Chicago River has won hearts across the internet after a viral video of the spectacle was posted on Twitter on Saturday.
Joey Santore, a self-taught botanist and Chicago native, was kayaking down the Chicago River with his friend when he came across the turtle, which he named Chonkosaurus.
“We were just going to go out and study the plant species that were showing up along the river — not anything that gets planted, but what shows up on its own in these highly disturbed and often polluted environments,” he said. “We started seeing a bunch of native turtle species and we were just seeing some of the animal life there.”
While kayaking down the river, Santore and his friend spotted the reptile on a rotting pylon, which was attached to chains and was historically used to direct water traffic and prevent damage to other structures in the water. That day, it was a place for the turtle to relax.
In the video, which had more than 350,000 views on Twitter as of Friday afternoon, Santore offers words of encouragement to Chonkosaurus.
«You look good. I’m so proud of you. You’ve been eating healthy,» Santore said in the video. «Have you ever heard of liquid salad? We’ve been doing that.»
Online users were mesmerized by the size of Chonkosaurus.
“Love Chonkosaurus, our new Chicago icon!” one person commented.
“You know, I don’t hear much of the old Chicago accent these days. this guy is a great example”, another user wrote on Twitter. “I also love that our river is healthy enough to support this beautiful beast!”
“What has that thing been eating? She had never seen phat turtles before, what a treat. I’ve seen big, tall as a dog, in the northeast, but that’s complete bullshit,” another commented.
There are two species of snapping turtles in North America and both can be found in Illinois, according to the non-profit organization Friends of the Chicago River. Snapping turtles also have «a short temper and are capable of delivering a very serious bite,» the nonprofit organization said.
Phil Nicodemus, director of research for Urban Rivers, a nonprofit organization that focuses on transforming urban waterways into wildlife sanctuaries, said he has seen the large snapping turtles up close for the past few years. However, he said it was refreshing to see such public enthusiasm for wildlife.
“For someone to come to our channel and take this video and go so viral, that’s something we see every day,” he said. “People who live near us sometimes don’t even realize things are there. So this is exactly what we wanted to see.»
Nick Wesley, CEO of Urban Rivers, said snapping turtles that thrive in the area are common as the healthy ecology continues to grow in the area. The growth in the area was based on the work of the non-profit organization and others to make up for years of pollution in the river.
“The river was historically terribly polluted. Wastewater and shipping were the two main uses, but I think we’ve really turned the page since then,” she said. «Our focus has been on habitat and really increasing wildlife and that’s something that I think has been really lacking in our river system.»
Santore said the size of Chonkosaurus was shocking, but so was where he saw it.
“Obviously this was very successful ecologically here. He was thriving and finding plenty to eat. I didn’t expect to see that so close to downtown Chicago. And there was another one there too,” she said.
Santore, who makes educational YouTube videos about plants, said he didn’t expect the video to go viral, as his content typically focuses on plant education, but he’s grateful that many enjoyed the video.
“People are used to driving past plants at 70 miles per hour on the freeway. I’m used to people being pretty blind to plants,” she said. “When you see a 60-pound snapping turtle that looks like a dinosaur hanging out on…those rusty pylons, I think the whole set was a lot of fun.”
This is not Santore’s first encounter with virality. He went viral in 2019 for rescuing a coyote in the California countryside in a video where viewers were captivated by the coyote’s wide eyes and Santore’s sassy Chicago accent.