Welcome to a whole new underwater world, thanks to the work of a YouTube creator who calls himself the Fish Whisperer (real name: Kyle Naegeli), the cooperation of a red-eared slider turtle at a local pond and a GoPro video camera.
Naegeli is something of a marine YouTube star — he has over half a million subscribers to his channel, and has been sharing his videos of fishing adventures and encounters with freshwater sea creatures going back six years. But this appears to be the first time he decided to strap a GoPro onto a turtle and see what would happen. The result is a meandering journey through the muddy pond depths, featuring encounters with other turtles, eating shad from Naegeli’s hand and the unique experience of seeing life from a turtle’s-eye view. Naegeli also takes some time to feed the catfish and bass circulating at the corner of the pond.
The video may not be quite what contemporary spectators are used to in terms of superhero-style action sequences, but there’s still drama in the small pond ecosystem; at one point, another turtle beats the GoPro-equipped star to a snack, and it topples backward into the water.
And it seems to be enough to captivate YouTube viewers: after less than a week, the Fish Whisperer’s video has over 10 million views, making it one of his most popular by a long shot. “I like turtles,” Naegeli commented on his post. Looks like plenty of others do, too.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Breaking Down the 2024 Election Calendar
- How Nayib Bukele’s ‘Iron Fist’ Has Transformed El Salvador
- What if Ultra-Processed Foods Aren’t as Bad as You Think?
- How Ukraine Beat Russia in the Battle of the Black Sea
- Long COVID Looks Different in Kids
- How Project 2025 Would Jeopardize Americans’ Health
- What a $129 Frying Pan Says About America’s Eating Habits
- The 32 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2024
Write to Raisa Bruner at raisa.bruner@time.com