Turtle Spotted Riding a 10-Foot Alligator in Tampa Pond; Are These 2 Creatures Friendly With Each Other?

Turtles and alligators can be friends, too. A Florida-based travel blogger, Jef Henninger, witnessed a rare sighting of these two animals' friendship.

Alligator and Turtle Bonding

Henninger shared a photo of a 10-foot alligator swimming with a turtle on its head on Facebook. He saw the duo around a pond in Tampa.

He spoke with Newsweek about the sighting. According to him, he had seen turtles near gators before, so the sight of the former riding the latter was not a complete shock for him. However, he admitted that it was the first time he saw a turtle riding a gator, and he found it funny.

Henninger said he had a lot of encounters with alligators, and he noticed that they don't mind the other animals. For him, most fear humans naturally, but gators usually share their space with other animals, including birds and turtles.

However, he also acknowledged that there were chances the gator would attack and eat the turtle. Henninger said gators eat turtles, so it will not be incredibly rare if it happens.

The blogger said he had never seen such an encounter in person. However, he is aware of photos and videos of gators eating turtles. He admitted it's among the reasons he finds turtles getting close to gators interesting: the former can be the latter's dinner any moment.

Fortunately, the gator was friendly to the turtle. According to Henninger, after paddling through the pond, the gator stopped near the water's edge, and both stayed there.

He returned an hour later, and both were still in the area. However, the turtle was already staying in a log at the time.

The photo of the two animals bonding received several responses from netizens. One wrote, "Florida hitch hikers."

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Are Alligators and Turtles Friends?

In the wild, alligators and turtles can't be friends, according to A-Z Animals. The outlet noted that a friendship between the two is unlikely.

Even if both are reptiles and can be found in the same habitat, one is ferocious, and the other is vulnerable.

Turtles are an accessible food item for alligators, so their relationship will always be predator and prey. In actuality, alligators and turtles frequently get along poorly. Alligators are known to hunt turtles and can be vicious toward them.

However, a fast online search for "alligators and turtles" will quickly turn up images of these two species interacting in the field, frequently with the turtle perched atop the alligator-like the two were best friends. After viewing these pictures online, one cannot help but wonder if alligators feed on these peaceful semi-aquatic critters.

Although alligators may appear friendly toward turtles, when they are starving, their savage instincts always take control. Gators are not picky eaters since the conditions in the wild are always uncertain.

Additionally, turtles are among alligators' favorite food. Favorite here refers to what they can catch the quickest.

Although gators frequently choose meaty creatures like fish, birds, or amphibians, they won't hesitate to eat turtles if the situation demands it.