(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – A massive snapping turtle has been the talk of the town this week, and the two nature enthusiasts who spotted the animal on the Chicago River say they’re overwhelmed by the attention.
What started as a simple trip down the river in a kayak has turned into a Chicago sensation.
Joey Santore and Al Scorch have helped introduce close to 1 million viewers on Twitter to “Chonkosaurus,” the massive snapping turtle they spotted sunning itself near the Division Street Bridge on the North Branch of the Chicago River.
“I’ve seen spitting cobras and I’ve petted gray whale calves before,” Santore said Friday on the Bernstein and Holmes Show on 670 The Score. “But seeing a 60-pound snapping turtle on the Chicago River, that was pretty cool.”
Part of the fun of the viral video is hearing the friends – with their Chicago accents reminiscent of the “superfans” featured on SNL – exclaim in wonder at their discovery.
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Scorch said Santore takes pride in educating people about nature in his own unique way.
“His rough demeanor rubs some people the wrong way, but most people love it because that’s not the way scientists are usually thought of as,” he told Bernstein and Holmes.
Santore said the hope is that the popularity of their video leads to some good.
“If it gets more people into appreciating nature and the idea of nature in a city,” he said.
Wildlife experts interviewed by WBBM Newsradio this week speculated about Chonk’s origin. One suggested the female turtle is 40 to 50 years old and has survived in Chicago’s improving ecological system. Another wondered if the turtle was a pet that was released into the wild after years of being cared for.
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