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The Tortoise & The… Cheetah? You’ll Never Believe This Unlikely Animal Friendship

A cheetah and a tortoise snuggling in the grass.

We know from fables that tortoises don’t really get along with speedy hares, but what about cheetahs? An unexpected friendship has blossomed at the Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation Foundation in Florida. Tuesday, a cheetah who was born in captivity, has become besties with a tortoise named Penzi. According to @thatgoodnewsgirl on TikTok, cheetahs can actually get quite anxious and often benefit from having a companion. For Tuesday, that’s Penzi!

Videos by InspireMore

Footage of the unusual duo shows them cuddling, playing, and eating together. The tortoise and cheetah spend most of their time with each other, despite their differences in… well, almost everything! Tuesday was socialized around other animals at an early age, but Penzi was the one special friend she clicked with the most.

@thatgoodnewsgirl

This emotional support tortoise (aka supportoise) helps his cheetah best friend, Tuesday, get through the day! Sometimes, opposites really do attract! 🐆 🐢 The cheetah and the tortoise are at the Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation Center in Gainesville, Florida. They are most active on their FB page: Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation Foundation And IG: carsonspringswildlife They also have TikTok, but they’re less active here: @Carson Springs 📸 Carson Springs Wildlife #cheetah #tortoise #wildlife #conservation #goodnews #sulcatatortoise

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Commenters on TikTok absolutely loved learning more about this uncommon yet wholesome relationship. Some people have been jokingly calling Penzi a “supportoise” since the tortoise acts as an emotional support animal for the cheetah.

“I needed to watch a cheetah cuddle her supportoise today,” wrote one user.

Another added, “It’s like a children’s book. A fast carnivore and a slow herbivore become friends.”

A cheetah and a tortoise snuggling in the grass.
Screengrab from TikTok

It’s amazing to see the connection between these two wildly different animals. If a cheetah and a tortoise can become friends, there’s hope for all of us!

You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.

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