Is this the animal equivalent of an Uber?
This video will definitely bring a smile to your face, because it’s not everyday that you get to see The Lion King play out in real life. It looks like this is taking place in some sort of captivity, but all that matters is that this meerkat apparently got tired of walking around and got an idea.
Was the tortoise willing to have the small animal hitch a ride on its back? There’s really no way to tell, and I’m not sure the tortoise could do anything about it anyways.
I just hope that the tortoise is getting something out of the whole deal too. Remember back in middle school biology when you learned about all the different symbiotic relationships?
You have mutualism, where both organisms benefit, commensalism, where one benefits and the other isn’t harmed or help, parasitism, where….
I could tell you were spacing out just reading that, so I’ll pause the science lesson and just get on with the story. As far as we can tell, it looks like the meerkat is better off and the tortoise is just kind of chilling, but maybe there’s more than meets the eye.
The meerkat could be acting as a lookout, and the two teaming up could be an “animal superteam,” with the tortoise providing protection like a tank and the meerkat acting as the navigator and “eyes in the sky.”
What is the likelihood of that being true? Probably pretty slim. Did the meerkat probably just jump on top of the tortoise thinking it was a rock, then all of the sudden started moving and it didn’t question it? Yeah, that’s probably what happened.
Regardless, the vibes are high as the meerkat rides along on top of the tortoise, and though I can’t confirm that they are working as a team, I really hope that they are.
Take a look:
Twitter users couldn’t get over the intelligent meerkat taking a spin atop the tortoise, sending out replies underneath the video saying:
Adorable
— It’s a complex world it’s the LG show (@lgmediaent) July 5, 2023
But don’t those platforms do 360 degrees? This platform looks like it’s just going straight…too slow to tell.
— Cindy Loo (@JadedNurse63) July 5, 2023
😊
The meerkat is like, “I can get use to this.”#That Uber life#sightseeing
— Leticia Pugh (@LeticiaPugh16) July 5, 2023
better to drive than to walk!
— Marjan (@MarjanMartan) July 5, 2023
Meerkat Express!
— Arthur Gamboa (@gamboaas) July 5, 2023
