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Saturday, 28 January 2012

Is this the world's fattest squirrel? Video captures obese rodent too big to move

The obesity crisis has claimed another victim - a wild squirrel in the US that is so fat that it doesn't move even when repeatedly prodded.
The rodent was caught on camera after crawling or falling into what appears to be a bird feeder.
The man who discovers the animal tries to get him to leave but despite repeated poking, it barely twitches.
Stuck: The squirrel was discovered trapped in a bird feeder 
Stuck: The squirrel was discovered trapped in a bird feeder

The rodent was caught on camera after crawling or falling into what appears to be a bird feeder.
The man who discovers the animal tries to get him to leave but despite repeated poking, it barely twitches.


Despite repeated poking, the squirrel is too lazy to run away
Despite repeated poking, the squirrel is too lazy to run away


'Maybe he ate so much he can't move," the voiceover speculates.
Squirrels normally eat plant material including nuts, seeds, fruits, fungi and green vegetation. However some have been known to consume meat including small birds, snakes, eggs and insects.
Slumped down in the wooden feeder, the squirrel looks like a furry version of the Star Wars character Jabba the Hut. Its arms look tiny compared to its huge stomach.
Eyes too big for its stomach?
Eyes too big for its stomach?

The video, labelled 'horrible fat squirrel', has attracted more than 200,000 views on YouTube.
Some views have suggested that it is too fat to be a squirrel and may in fact be another animal - an edible doormouse, chinchilla or chipmunk.
The largest type of squirrels are Alpine marmots, which grow up to 73cm long and weigh up to 8kg, while the smallest are African pygmy squirrels at just 10grams.

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