‘You Know You’re in Florida When’: Man Captures Turtle Riding Alligator Around Pond ‘Like a Horse’

Courtesy of Jef Henninger

A travel blogger in Tampa witnessed an obscene and utterly ridiculous—yet entirely hilarious—display of reptile familiarity that he said could only happen in Florida.

As alligators abound throughout the Sunshine State, it’s no wonder locals have observed none other than a turtle waddling its way onto the scaly back of one of the reptiles to “hitch” a ride, as Jef Henninger witnessed in mid-April.

Henninger, 44, who enjoys posting his landscape photography online, saw the turtle’s theatrics and quickly captured the rare moment on his phone.

Tickled by the funny scene, he took to Facebook and shared the audacious reptile pair online, captioning a humorous analogy, “You know you’re in #florida when you see a turtle riding a gator around a pond like it’s a horse.”

The unusual post garnered raucous reactions from netizens—from both Florida and far beyond. Some commented on the sight.

The moment a turtle was captured riding an alligator in Tampa, Florida. Courtesy of Jef Henninger

“Florida hitch hikers,” Carolyn Ferraro wrote in the comments section below the post.

Joining in the fun, Trish Schmitt commented, “OMG, precious!! Gotta love Florida.”

Some Facebook users inquired as to the turtle’s fate, given its precarious perch—likened to the gingerbread man who rode the fox from the well-known fable. Turtles indeed number among the species of prey that alligators often hunt.

Curious himself, Henninger had made a point of checking on the reptile pair later that day.

“I have no idea how long the turtle was like that. I left the area and came back in an hour,” he told The Epoch Times. “The gator was near a log and the turtle had hopped off and was now on the log right near the gator.”

As Florida’s some 1.3 million gators are found throughout the state’s 67 counties, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the large reptiles regularly pose a nuisance for local inhabitants.

A turtle was photographed riding an alligator by Jef Henninger, 44, in Tampa, Florida. Courtesy of Jef Henninger

“Gators” have been known to park themselves in people’s driveways under their vehicles and even occasionally nab their pets along residential waterways.

So, seeing a turtle find its way onto an alligator’s back, and even hitch a ride, along its meanderings might not be such a stretch of the imagination, here in the Sunshine State.

“This is pretty rare but turtles may sometimes climb on gators just as they would climb up on a log or anything else to get some sun,” said Henninger. “I’ve never heard of one getting on a gator that then swam around.”

One Facebook user proved the point—it’s just another day in Florida—by posting a similar photo of her own gator-riding turtle encounter.

Facebook user Tracy Lasita photographed this picture of a turtle riding an alligator taken in Busch Gardens in April. Courtesy of Tracy Lasita

Captioning a knowing, “Yep!!” Tracy Lasita shared a doozy taken from Busch Gardens a few weeks back.

Meanwhile, not only Floridians appreciated Henninger’s post. His photo went viral and gained global exposure.

“It has since appeared in news publications across the world which is really amazing,” he said. “Most people seem to think that it’s hilarious.”

Naturally, Floridians on Facebook were all too eager simply to kick back and enjoy what nature in their home state has blessed them with. Just another day in Florida, indeed!

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