'Chonkosaurus': The Viral Giant Snapping Turtle of Chicago River

A massive snapping turtle named Chonkosaurus lounging on a bed of rusty chains in the Chicago River has won hearts on the internet after a viral video of the spectacle was posted to Twitter. The reptile was spotted by a self-taught botanist and Chicago native, Joey Santore, while kayaking through the river with his friend. The video had over 350,000 views on Twitter as of Friday afternoon, and online users were mesmerized by Chonkosaurus’ size. The growth in the area relied on the work of the nonprofit and others to undo the years of pollution in the river.