14 DAY TRIAL // It turns out that mother turtles are way more preoccupied with taking care of their offspring than anyone would ever think them to be.
The picture above was taken at Shingle Creek Park in Kissimmee, Florida and, according to photography student Maria Manzano, the momma turtle featured in it only allowed the baby turtle to sit on its back so as to give it a chance to practice swimming.
Apparently, the mom was moving its limbs as if it were actually swimming, and its offspring was trying to mimic its every move.
“I had to look twice as I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. At first I thought they were a sculpture placed there,” 21-year-old Maria Manzano recollects, as cited by Daily Mail.
Furthermore, “But then I realized they were moving their legs and their necks and it seemed like synchronized swimming. What I thought was even more amazing was that they didn’t seem scared by my presence. It was fascinating - watching a parent teaching child.”
In case anyone was wondering, the baby turtle and its mom are yellow-bellied sliders. The species is native to the southeastern United States, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers is to be of least concern.