‘What am I looking at?’ Mystery mammal caught dancing in a handstand position on National Park night camera confuses wildlife fans
‘What am I looking at?’ Mysterious Mammal Caught Dancing in Handstand Position on National Park’s Night Camera Confuses Nature Lovers
- The cute animal was spotted shuffling in the handstand position
- The photo was captured on a night camera in Saguaro National Park, southern Arizona
- The National Park Service said people are wondering what the heck it is
A mysterious mammal caught dancing on its front legs in an adorable video has stunned nature lovers after it was shared online by the National Park Service.
The furry animal was spotted shuffling in the handstand position on a night camera in Saguaro National Park near Tucson, southern Arizona.
Balancing on its front legs in a vertical ‘splooting’ position with the hind legs apart, the creature moves from leg to leg to stay upright.
The unusual animal has a squirrel-like body and boasts a huge display of feathers spread in every direction from its raised tail.
The National Park Service shared the video over the weekend with the caption: ‘You may be wondering, “What am I looking at?” That is fair’.
The desert dweller appears to be performing an elaborate mating ritual, but the agency revealed it is actually an attempt to scare away predators.
The agency praised the adorable animal for “dancing like no one is watching” and identified the specimen as a spotted skunk.
Although better known for their somewhat smelly defense mechanism, skunks also have the ability to perform the eccentric dance when they are “particularly irritated,” the agency said.
‘More passion, more passion, more passion, more energy, more footwork, more footwork!’ they said as they shared the clip on Facebook.
‘Too much passion. Pull back. Pull back. Nice footwork. Paw work? You may be wondering, “What am I looking at?” That is fair.
“It’s clearly a skunk doing a moving handstand. Did you think it was some kind of mask with feathers?
‘One of our favorite nature shots: this spotted skunk dances like no one is watching… even when we are.’
They added that the spotted skunk “is usually polite enough to give a warning before starting to dance” by stomping its forelimbs, hissing and raising its tail.
“If they are particularly irritated, they will stand upright on their front legs and perform the unusual handstand dance,” the agency said.
The furry animal was spotted shuffling in the handstand position on a night camera in Saguaro National Park (pictured) near Tucson, southern Arizona.
A mysterious mammal caught dancing on its front legs in an adorable video has stunned wildlife fans after it was shared online by the National Park Service
“If the dancing handstand doesn’t intimidate (wow, nothing?), they’ll resort to the real room clearers: a pair of scent glands in the back that squirt a stinky musk.”
The agency called the skunk a “local honking squirrel” and advised anyone who encounters one to “calmly turn around and walk away.”
“Avoid anything else that could be considered threatening,” they said.
“More passion, more energy and more footwork yelling will most likely lead to more squirting.”
The images, which have been ‘liked’ 12,000 times on Facebook, received praise from stunned nature lovers who said they had ‘learned a lot’ from the post.
‘That’s talent!!’ one said, while another thanked the agency for the “entertaining and enlightening” post and others laughed at the “toot squirrel” antics.