Woman Out For A Walk Randomly Spots A Perfect Stack Of Turtles

Kelly Bricker was out for a stroll along a creekside trail near her home in Virginia when she happened upon an unsual scene. Two people ahead of her on the trail were the first to notice.

“I heard them making a loud commotion,” Bricker told The Dodo. “I was wondering what could be so funny.”

Glancing toward the creek, this is what she saw:

There, poised on a rock in the middle of the creek, were a pair of turtles — gracefully stacked one on top of the other, creating 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!”

Here’s a closer look:

Adding to the comical effect of the turtle tower, the turtles’ arms and legs were all outstretched — like a touch of theatric fanfare to underscore their balancing act.

But how’d they end up so neatly stacked? Here’s one possible scenario:

Seeing a turtle atop another in such a comedic way may have been a new one for Bricker, but according to biologist David Steen, it’s really not so unusual. Turtles routinely bask in the sun to warm themselves up, so dry sunny spots are often in high demand. In this case, two turtles had to share.

“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.”

As for the outstretched limbs? “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.

Lucky for Bricker, she was passing by at just the right moment to see it.

“I walk on this local trail and see turtles all the time, but these ones were definitely out of the ordinary!” she said.