A YouTube video of a fainting squirrel has many people wondering what mysterious illness the animal is suffering from, the Huffington Post reports. The video, titled "Tippy the Fainting Squirrel," was uploaded by user Honor Via and shows a black squirrel apparently eating a nut while standing to suddenly freeze and fall over.
The squirrel stays lying on the ground for only a few seconds and then stands up and continues eating again... before falling over again. The video has left many people concerned about the squirrel's heath.
One Reddit user commented "I've seen squirrels nibble on pumpkins and stuff left out around this time of the year and when they eat some that have been fermenting a while, they seem to get drunk and act like this."
Someone else suggested: "It could also be a problem with the hearts ability to pump blood and oxygen to the brain. You'll notice this only happens when the head is raised above the heart."
Other people tried to diagnose the animal on YouTube with one user commenting "He's obviously feeling fine and moving fine, with speed and precision, when he's not fainting. It could be anything from low-level seizure to narcolepsy to some other neurological issue."
Others thought the video wasn't funny at all and was worried if the squirrel was dying.
In 2007, the National Geographic posted a video about fainting goats on a farm in Hawaii. The goats, also called stiffed legged goats, go by the name Myotonic goats. When they feel panic the goat's muscles freeze and they fall over; the fainting spell lasts about 10 seconds. The spell is said to be painless and is caused by a hereditary genetic disorder called myotonia congenital.
When panicked, the younger goats are usually the ones to topple over while the older ones have learned to either spread their legs or lean against something to keep them themselves from hitting the ground.
What do you think is wrong with "Tippy the Fainting Squirrel"?
