Meet "Chonkosaurus", a giant snapping turtle found on the banks of the Chicago River last week. Self-trained biologist Joey Santore discovered the huge turtle sunning himself on large ship chains last week as he was kayaking along the waterway. From the AP:
"Chris Anchor, the chief wildlife biologist with Forest Preserves of Cook County, said the snapping turtle Santore filmed is quite rare, considering its apparent size. He said it’s also unusual for the reptiles to be seen basking along rivers, but it probably recently emerged from hibernation.
'So my guess is that this animal had crawled out of the river to try and gather as much heat as it could in the sunshine,' Anchor told WMAQ-TV.
While it’s difficult to determine exactly how large the turtle is from the video alone, Anchor called it 'a very large individual.' And he noted that snapping turtles are not picky eaters." (our emphasis)
Whatever he's been feeding on, that satisfied expression on his face says it all.
(photo: Joey Santore / AP)
