You never know what nature is going to throw your way when you are out enjoying a day in the sunshine. In fact, if you take the time to look around you, there are sure to be things that are unexpected and perhaps even a little strange. It doesn’t matter if you are watching squirrels in the trees above you or ants working away on the ground below you, there is something interesting to see at almost any given time. For Kelly Bricker, that something interesting came in a most unusual sight.
Kelly Bricker lives in Virginia and she enjoys getting out and having a hike on occasion. She was near her home on a creekside trail when she heard something up in front of her. It was 2 other hikers who were also out for the day and they spotted something quite unusual. “I heard them making a loud commotion,” Bricker told The Dodo. “I was wondering what could be so funny.” That is when she looked over at the creek and saw something so strange and perhaps just a little funny.
What she saw was a par of turtles that were stacked on top of each other. It was like looking at a perfect little turtle tower.
“They were sitting there still, not moving, just enjoying the sun,” Bricker said. “It was a funny sight to see!”
You can see it better in this blown up picture
It looked strange on its own but they also had their necks and arms stretched out, making it even funnier.
Nobody is sure why or how they got stacked but there is at least one possibility.
David Steen is a biologist and he said that turtles are often looking for a dry, sunny spot to hang out. It seems that these two turtles decided to share a spot.
“I expect the turtle on top simply climbed up there [onto the other turtle],” Steen told The Dodo. “It’s a pretty funny scene, but you can often find them stacked up on top of each other to varying degrees (although not often exactly like this), especially when there aren’t a lot of great places to bask.”
“They are sticking their feet out in the air because it increases the amount of skin exposed to the sun and helps them warm up faster,” Steen said.
Talk about being at the right place at the right time!