It looks insane, but bringing an 'emotional support turkey' on a plane seems to be totally legal

Owning an animal can be important for our mental well-being, and nowadays, many of us take our pet companions everywhere from restaurants to airports.

But instead of cats or dogs, some people have a broader definition of pets. One person even brought an emotional support turkey on what appears to be a recent Delta flight.

The picture seems to have been originally posted by Twitter user Moesha Mitchel in early January and shows someone's turkey sitting in coach. Reddit then got a hold of the picture, and it has filtered down and started to be reposted around the internet.

Delta allows dogs, cats, and household birds on its flights, and does not appear to specify about what constitutes a "household bird." Customers, with a medical professional's note, can bring their well-trained emotional support pet on flights for no extra charge.

"In the rare event the animal doesn't behave, we may ask you additional questions about the training of your animal," the Delta website states. "You are entitled to any available seat in which you are qualified to use and your animal is expected to be seated in the floor space below your seat. No animals are allowed to occupy seats that are designed for passengers."

Though the turkey appears to be in a passenger's seat, it's likely the plane is loading and the person is letting the turkey stretch out before getting settled at his or her feet.

This is not the first time an exotic support animal has been on a US flight. In 2014, the pig a customer claimed was an emotional support animal was kicked off a US Airways flight and there have even been reports that an emotional support kangaroo was allowed on board an airplane with a doctor's note.

Tech Insider has reached out to Delta as well as Mitchel about the turkey. Stay tuned.