Hoax…? Incredible Photo Shows Giant Sea Turtle Meeting A Herd Of North Carolina Wild Horses
UPDATE: We have identified that the photo is from a digital artist and may have been created from an artist’s viewpoint of what they would like to happen in the Outer Banks. She has unique artwork from a digital viewpoint and you can take a look at all of her artwork through her Facebook page.
A photographer and digital artist notified us that this might be an edit, because “In this image, the lighting on the turtle seemed to lack the contrast that was on the ponies,” said Mark Calcagni. The alleged original photo can be found on CanStockPhoto.
I often joke that I don’t like animals I’m not expecting to see, and that’s mostly true. Take dogs. I love dogs, and I’m rarely not expecting to see a dog. I hate snakes, I’m never expecting to see a snake. But for more in-the-middle options, I enjoy visiting zoos, aquariums, and places like that. I don’t want to be walking and any sort of out-of-the-box animal come out of nowhere. I have to know it’s there and make the decision to interact. Take goat yoga, I participated in that the other week and it was hilariously fun. I even held a goat for a picture. Now if a goat just approached me in normal life? Yeah, I’m not ok with that. So you get the jist. All of this to say, what is pictured below would be an exception to my rule. A photo shared over the weekend on OBX Life Facebook shows a giant sea turtle meeting the Wild Horses on the North Carolina Outerbanks.
Would I be terrified of both the horses and the turtle? Perhaps. Though the horses I may be expecting to see and if I was a fair distance away? I’d probably be good. And even I could outrun the turtle. So though wildly unexpected, this pairing may not be too startling for me. It would definitely be once in a lifetime, however. The caption doesn’t give any detail about where on the Outerbanks this photo was taken. The wild horses are Colonial Spanish Mustang Horses and they call several of the barrier islands home. Including Corolla, Shackleford Banks, and Ocracoke Island. The horses have resided on the North Carolina shore for over 500 years.
We also don’t know when this chance encounter occurred. All we know it’s that it’s incredible. I mean look at the sheer size of the giant turtle compared to the wild horses. It’s world’s colliding and I can only imagine what was going through the animals’ heads. What a once in a lifetime moment to witness and capture on camera. I’ve never seen the wild horses on the Outerbanks, but I did include that on my list ” You’re Not A True North Carolinian Until You’ve Done These Things”. You can read that below.
You Aren't A True North Carolinian Until You've Done These 9 Things
Seen The Wild Horses At The Outer Banks
There are multiple places on the Outer Banks of North Carolina where you can see the wild Colonial Spanish Mustang Horses that call the barrier islands home. This includes Corolla, Shackleford Banks, and Ocracoke Island. The horses have resided on the North Carolina shore for over 500 years. There are guided tours that will take you close to these magnificent creatures. But always remember they are wild animals and not domesticated like the horses you typically encounter. That being said, it’s a breathtaking experience to witness these animals running at the edge of the ocean.
