The famed snapping turtle, dubbed “Chonkosaurus” by internet commentators when pictures of her basking on a Chicago River pylon first went viral in summer 2023, reappeared earlier this week. The celebrity turtle and at least two companions spent the winter in brumation, a period of low activity akin to hibernation. Steven Meyer, of the nonprofit organization Urban Rivers, said a Shedd Aquarium employee caught the first conclusive pictures of the season, which show a notch in the back right portion of the reptile’s shell.
Meyer said three snapping turtles have recently been hanging out near Goose Island, making it more of a challenge to identify Chonkosaurus. Chonk and another large (but not as large) turtle known as Stagg have both been visible over the last week, he said, but he was only able to definitively confirm which turtle was which on Thursday.
A snapping turtle known as “Chonkosaurus” rests on a chain atop the remains of a pylon in the North Branch Canal of the Chicago River on May 29, 2025. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)A snapping turtle known as “Chonkosaurus” rests on a chain atop the remains of a pylon in the North Branch Canal of the Chicago River on May 29, 2025. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
A kayaker paddles past a snapping turtle known as “Chonkosaurus” as the turtle rests on a chain atop the remains of a pylon in the North Branch Canal of the Chicago River on May 29, 2025. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)A snapping turtle known as “Chonkosaurus” rests on a chain atop the remains of a pylon in the North Branch Canal of the Chicago River on May 29, 2025. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)Kayakers paddle near a snapping turtle called“Chonkosaurus” lying on a chain atop the remains of a pylon in the North Branch Canal of the Chicago River in Chicago on May 29, 2025. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
Another snapping turtle, left, not the famous turtle called “Chonkosaurus,” emerges from the water in the North Branch Canal of the Chicago River in Chicago on May 29, 2025. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)Turtles rest on a tree in the North Branch Canal of the Chicago River in Chicago on May 29, 2025. The famous snapping turtle called “Chonkosaurus” was nearby this smaller grouping of turtles. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
