A Florida man captures hilarious moment a VERY bold turtle hitches a ride on a 10-foot alligator and rides it around a pond ‘like it’s a horse’
- Wildlife photographer Jef Henninger snapped the rare photo on Monday
- The turtle and alligator were caught on camera padding across the Tampa pond
- Gators are known to prey on turtles which makes picture even more unusual
A Florida man has captured the hilarious moment a very bold turtle hitched a ride on the back of a 10-foot alligator.
Wildlife photographer Jef Henninger snapped the unusual encounter on Monday as he walked near a pond in Tampa.
Surprised by the alligator’s docile behavior – since gators are known to prey on turtles – he posted the picture on his Facebook, Traveling with Jef, with the caption: ‘You know you’re in #florida when you see a turtle riding a gator around a pond like it’s a horse.’
Henninger told Yahoo News he has witnessed many unique animal moments in the Sunshine State, but said this particular event was among the best: ‘You really can’t see stuff like this anywhere else.’
When he left the area and returned an hour later, the two reptilian friends were still hanging out together, but this time the turtle had made its way over to a nearby log for some alone time.
Wildlife photographer Jef Henninger snapped the unusual encounter on Monday as he walked near a pond in Tampa as the pair were enjoying a quiet moment as they swam across the water in harmony.=
He posted the photo to his Facebook on Monday after witnessing the unusual encounter
Henninger told Newsweek he has a lot of experience with alligators and said ‘they don’t seem to mind [other animals] much.’
‘Most alligators have a natural fear of humans but other than that, they will usually share their space with birds, turtles, and other animals,’ he added.
The picture of Henninger’s prey and predator photo garnered scores of views and comments on his Facebook page, with some locals seemingly unsurprised.
One said: ‘If you live here it’s like, ‘Just another day in Florida.’
But those who are not familiar with Florida’s terrain and wildlife were stunned. One person wrote: ‘Wow, that’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.’
Others who were traveling to other nature preserves said they were hoping to spot something as neat as what Henninger captured.
‘We’re in nawlin’s and gonna do a swamp tour tomorrow. Hopefully we get to see something as cool!!,’ someone wrote.
Alligators are ‘opportunistic feeders which hunt and prey on species that are abundant and accessible, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation.
Turtles will often be a main staple in an adult alligators diet – which includes snakes, small mammals and birds.
There are approximately 1.3 million alligators living in Florida, according to the state wildlife commission.
The state has more than 30 species of native turtles, most of which are found in freshwater.
Both reptiles can be found in ponds, swamps, rivers and wetlands.
