brave-turtle-hitches-ride-back-alligator-florida-video

Brave Turtle Hitches a Ride on the Back of an Alligator in Florida: VIDEO

Emergency rescue crews have been deployed across Florida for the last several days, with government employees and volunteers alike working hand in hand to help locals recover. However, they’re not the only ones performing meaningful acts of service. In the days following Hurricane Ian’s retreat, multiple viral videos have shown alligators perusing the floodwaters in some of FL’s neighborhoods and city streets. One alligator, though, has gone viral for an entirely different reason, giving a turtle impacted by the storm a ride on its broad, scaley back.

@gatorbeach Catching a ride 🐊🐢#gatorbeach #destin #alligator #turtle #turtle #florida ♬ original sound – Ben

The 10-second clip, taken at Gator Beach, is actually pretty cute, the turtle riding up close to the back of the alligator’s head. Viewers, taking in the unusual scene, had some humorous responses to share in the comments.

“Florida things,” one wrote. Another added, “even nature is coming together to help each other out.”

As humorous as the clip above might be, alligators in FL floodwaters have become a real concern for residents and first responders alike. Handfuls of videos have already emerged online, showing multiple alligators cruising along flooded streets. In fact, one clip—taken in Lake County toward Aster—shows a massive 9-10-foot alligator lazily exploring Hurricane Ian’s floodwaters.

Lake County’s fire chief spoke out about the dangers of going into or being near the floodwaters in the days following Hurricane Ian.

“With the high water, we get some amphibious creatures to come out of the swamps — snakes, alligators [that] we normally wouldn’t.”

Collier County officials warned Floridians, “Flood water is dangerous. We’ve received reports of sewage, alligators, and snakes in flood water in our community. Please stay away.”

Soaring Alligator Wrecks Cameraman’s New Drone

The alligator in the TikTok clip above appears relatively docile as the turtle cruises along on its back. However, another viral clip captures the moment one less-docile reptile launched itself out of the water and wrecked a nearby cameraman’s brand new drone. Check out the heart-pounding footage below.

Hovering just a few feet above the water’s surface, we can see the alligator considering its options before finally taking down the expensive piece of equipment.

Peering up at the drone, the alligator bunches its muscles and, essentially prepares for liftoff. Tilting its chin upward, it wriggles its body and soars, the drone finding itself tightly clamped between the massive creature’s terrifying jaws.

Rob Rosetto, the man who captured the entire action shot, mourned the loss of his drone, writing on Instagram, “Well there goes my drone! Damn Alligator actually just ATE it!”

Viewers were in awe of the gator’s agility.

“Dang!” one of them wrote, while a second added, “This is absolutely nuts.”