Hurricane Milton just pulled a real party crasher in Siesta Key, Florida, leaving over 2 million folks flicking their switches in vain, as the lights went out. But while humans battened down the hatches, a certain dolphin named Teri was the real star of the show, as Grace Merkell decided to play marine detective on TikTok.
In a viral TikTok clip resembling a 6-second suspenseful soap opera, complete with SpongeBob’s sad tunes, Grace shared her dolphin-tracking woes, revealing Teri was taking a dangerous swim right into Hurricane Milton’s path. “My dolphin is stuck in the storm! Put it in reverse, Teri!” she pleaded. I mean, it’s not like Teri was at SeaWorld asking for directions, right? With nearly half a million views and comments galore from users worried about their own aquatic pals, it was clear this dolphin drama had the internet hooked.
One user noted, “My Fahlo shark, Babu, is in the Gulf too!” I guess sea creatures everywhere were just throwing caution to the wind. Alas, the plot thickened. In a crushing follow-up, Grace revealed Teri’s tracker went radio silent. The app exclaimed, “Your animal’s tracker is no longer sending signals!”
Talk about a dramatic twist! Was Teri lured away by some alluring dolphin dance party, or likelier, just enjoying a nap, like us mortals during a rainy Sunday? Whatever the case, Teri got swapped for another dolphin—Debbie, who, frankly, sounds way too basic. Meanwhile, while hurricanes dance their deadly tango, Florida locals are finding humor amid the chaos. Another TikToker, Brooklyn Karasack, offered a life hack involving a penny and a glass of water to see how long the power was out—because who doesn’t love a game of ‘Is my freezer a meat graveyard?’ If the penny had sunk? Dinner’s a write-off! So there you have it: while we hope Teri’s okay, it seems her tracker may have sunk faster than my motivation to go to the gym. Internet chaos reigns, but hey, isn’t that what makes life a little more… fantastic?