Whether it's rhino-riding genets, hippo-surfing herons or a crazy weasel atop its woodpecker steed, wherever there's a case of interspecies transportation, we're on it. And in Florida's Blue Spring State Park, that case appears to involve an alligator and a manatee.
The snapshot was posted to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Facebook page after a local resident submitted it as part of a manatee photo contest. But as much as we'd love to believe in manatee-cruising crocodilians, this curious sighting comes down to the photographer's timing.
"I would guess that these manatees were hanging out near warm water or heading to warm water and the alligator was looking for a sunny spot to hang out along the shoreline and they simply crossed paths," FWC manatee expert Ron Mezich said in a statement.
Blue Spring is a designated manatee refuge, making it the perfect spot for observing these lumbering marine mammals. The park is also home to its share of alligator residents, so it's not unusual for these two species to bump into one another.
For human swimmers, however, riding or touching the slow-moving sea cows is a definite no-no.
__
Top header image: cuatrock77, Flickr
WTF!?
WTF!?
WTF!?
