Viral Video Shows Rival Monkey Gangs Engaging In Turf War By Plunging Into Florida River
Ever been enjoying a nice, peaceful cruise down a seemingly quiet river when all of a sudden your pontoon boat is being attacked by flying monkeys?
Me neither, but, apparently, it happens!
Only in Florida, of course.
A video from the state's Ocala forest showing dozens of monkeys plunging into the river has gone bonkers viral this week, and for good reason.
I mean, it's not every day that you see - and hear - a monkey doing a cannonball in your wake.
Video goes viral of Florida monkeys launching themselves into river
Sheer terror from everyone involved here, and rightfully so.
I live in Florida - have my whole life - and I can confidently say that I've never seen a monkey.
Gators? Sure. Snakes? Every damn day. Frozen iguana falling from trees? Count on it. Bears? Once in a while.
But monkeys? Nope. Never seen that, much less plunging into the river out of absolutely nowhere.
The incident took place in Silver Springs State Park, in Ocala, and was filmed by Matthew Schwanke, who decided to take his family out for a "little river cruise."
The monkeys, for those wondering (and who isn't?), are apparently 'rhesus macaques,' a species not native to Florida that actually originates from south and southeast Asia.
The outdoorsman - who runs a nonprofit company called Outdoor Valor, which takes veterans on offshore fishing trips as a form of post-traumatic stress therapy - told his Facebook followers that what we had here was two rival monkey troops duking it out "for over a half-hour.”
He added that the two gangs were going “back and forth across the river like this screaming at each other," and that the aggressive behavior was likely due to a due to a “turf war.”
Did I think I'd find out today that we have rival monkey gangs here in Florida? Nope. But that's what makes this job so educational.