Strange Object Protruding From Squirrel Nest Causes Woman To Do A Double Take

The other day, Katie Rogalski was out for a walk around the neighborhood with her dog when something high overhead in a tree caught her eyes — and made her stop in her tracks.

There, nestled among the branches, was a squirrel’s nest.

But there was something a bit different about it.

Typically, squirrel nests — also known as "dreys" — are constructed with natural materials, like leaves and twigs and grasses. The fluffy-tailed architect behind the drey Rogalski spotted that day, however, had decided to incorporate an unexpected element into her design.

Protruding from the nest was what looked to be a small, white toy horse.

“[It] appears to be a barbie sized horse toy that was liberated from a child and used as nesting material,” Rogalski wrote in a post. “Only the back side of the white horse is visible.”

The toy horse made an odd addition.

“[I] thought it was amusing,” Rogalski told The Dodo. “[It] appears built into the structure.”

Presumably, the other end of the horse is visible within the interior of the nest, like a mounted head of the squirrel’s coveted plastic prize.

It's unclear exactly why the squirrel chose a toy horse to help reinforce her drey, but Rogalski suspects that the horse's mane might have seemed appealing for use as insulation. Whatever the case, Rogalksi was both amused and impressed by the squirrel's feat of engineering.

"It's about 12 to 15 feet up the tree, along the sidewalk," she said. "They are strong little critters."