Cool Pic of Raccoon Riding an Alligator

This is an awesome picture.

I read somewhere today that the photographer said it wasn't just cruising along, the photographer spooked the coon, then it jumped onto its back. It probably thought it was just a log at the time, but very cool shot, none the less.

a reply to: windword

"Twice around the park and home for tea James"

Who cares if it's real? It's funny.

originally posted by: boymonkey74
a reply to: windword

Would it be possible to hand rear one as a pet? I need a new sidekick.

I would recommend, based on personal experience, to not attempt.
They are destructive little bastards if you let them inside.
You can feed wild coons and they will get comfortable around you, but they are no bueno as a "pet."

a reply to: skunkape23

What If I got one as a baby and hand reared it?. Could they be taught?.
Don't have them here but I don't fancy a Badger.

originally posted by: boymonkey74
a reply to: skunkape23

What If I got one as a baby and hand reared it?. Could they be taught?.
Don't have them here but I don't fancy a Badger.

I found three babies. Their mother had got killed on the road. I took them home and bottle fed them until they were ready for solid food. They will tear everything in your home apart looking for food.
There is a good reason you don't see many, if any, people who own a pet coon.
You could tame one and keep it in a cage, but I don't consider that a pet.
Stick with dogs and cats.

a reply to: bananashooter

Obviously, you've never lived in FL & never observed gators on a regular basis. I did, for 25 years, and observed many gators. One, they DO go airborne if they want something. Most people think it's a myth. Nope, it's not, and that was the fastest I reeled in my line & packed up to leave a canal fishing spot.
Two, your assertion that the ripples are wrong for movement ... is wrong, too. He's not in motion, he's sitting there. Probably sunning himself a bit, judging by how much of that gator is exposed. They do not always leave the water & spread out on a bank to do that.

Imagine being that gator, just sitting there getting a little sun, minding your own beeswax. And then all of a sudden, you have a furry passenger. If only animals could talk XD

I used to live in an area with a very high concentration of Racoon's. They're nocturnal and don't cruise around in the day, dusk yes but midday which is what the photo looks to be, I'm calling photoshop. Not saying it couldn't ever happen but they're usually tucked in tight at home during the day hrs. They're also extremely aware of they're surroundings and shy is an understatement. If one was spooked, I doubt it would be jumping onto a log/gator, that's in the open, in a lake/swamp/river and stand upright surfing waves, just saying. Great photo though.

Somebody say Putin?

a reply to: Nyiah
I was in lake city 2 months but never saw a gator, so no, I am no expert. Just observations from available data. So you think its real? I just don't buy it, not because its not possible, just that it's more possible that its a fake.

a reply to: skunkape23

Gonna have to get my scientists to genetically take out the Cheeky gene and put in an obedient gene arn't I?.

a reply to: mtnshredder
We have a large population of raccoons around our place. It isn't at all unusual to see one out and about in the daytime, particularly this time of year when they are feeding younguns. Some of ours are quite skittish, leaving the area when a human appears, but a goodly number of them just stop what they're doing and look, then go back to eating or foraging.
I've never lived around gators but my husband tells me it isn't unusual to see birds sitting on a sunning gator, so maybe the gator just assumed it was a bird who was going to get some of the bugs swarming around.
Do you have any evidence to back up your "Photoshop" allegation?

Boymonkey---Skunkape is right, they are quite destructive if kept indoors when puberty hits. A relative of mine found several babies beside a Mom that had been hit on the road. He tried raising them indoors and all went well until the males went into puberty. He moved them to a pen outdoors and eventually they left the pen and stayed gone. The females left too but they returned with their first brood and introduced the babies.

a reply to: diggindirt

So they are nothing like the documentary I posted on page 1?.

It is my mission to befriend a Raccoon before I die.

a reply to: boymonkey74
Oh, you can befriend them. That's just a matter of time, patience and food.
We had a sow that raised 4 little ones in a hollow tree in the front yard a few years ago. She was not afraid of any of the residents of the house. She did keep her distance from the the two female cats but over time she trusted me enough to take food from my hand and bring her babies for treats as well. But my Beloved and I were the only humans she trusted, she'd skitter away if other humans were there.
She raised five litters and I'm pretty sure that the ones around today who aren't skittish when they encounter me are some of her grandchildren.
Right now our coons and a skunk are feasting on cicadas. We're in the midst of a massive hatch, the 13 year variety I think, and they are everywhere! When I swept my porch today I collected about two dozen and tossed them out into the yard where the critters found them just after dark.
But wait---you don't have coons in the UK, do you? You'll just have to come cross the pond I suppose.

He thinks the alligator's a log......

a reply to: diggindirt

That's interesting that you see them out during the day. 20+ yrs living in the mountains, camping, hunting and having a den under my garage almost every yr, I've never seen one out and about in the day. I've seen a lot coming out at dusk though. As far as the photo........no, I don't have proof it's photoshopped, just not buying it and would bet the farm. Birds, yeah I've seen many photos where they're sitting on gators but a Raccoon standing upright, nah.

a reply to: mtnshredder
Well, I must 'fess up and admit that we have outdoor cameras. Otherwise we wouldn't see them nearly so often I suspect. When we initially got the cameras we were surprised at how many nocturnal critters also appear in the daylight hours. Possums mosey by in daylight during the spring and summer months as well.

a reply to: diggindirt

Yes, that could be the difference, they're very timid and sketchy during the day. I have read that the mothers do forage occasionally during daylight hours, I've just never seen it. I will say this, at night, I notice a whole different demeanor take place and they act nothing like they do in the day. They become very brazen, certainly not so shy and even confrontational in some ways. For a cute furry critter they can sure get mean and nasty and are as tough as they come.

Fun to watch though, our property would be full of them in the evenings. Our Springer Spaniel loved chasing and treeing them when we let her out front.