'Santa Squirrel' Filmed Leaving Christmas Cookie on Homeowner's Porch

A squirrel was caught on camera doing its best to spread a little seasonal cheer by leaving a Christmas cookie outside the porch of one homeowner's property.

In a video shared to TikTok under the handle southernupnorth, a woman can be seen returning home from the store with a heavy bag.

She sets the bag down before going over to open her front door. It's at this point that she discovers a festive cookie resting on a ledge close to the entrance.

Initially confused and left assuming the cookie was left by "some kid," the footage then cuts back "2 hours earlier" to reveal that the sweet treat was, in fact, left there by a local squirrel.

The clip, which has been watched over 4.7 million times, has prompted any number of questions over whether the squirrel left the cookie there as a treat or was saving it for later. You can make your own mind up by watching it here.

Squirrels are certainly smarter than most probably assume.

In a 2016 study published in the scientific journal Animal Behavior, researchers highlighted how squirrels are fast learners with an experiment that saw a group of squirrels initially tasked with watching another squirrel remove a nut from one of two pots.

The squirrels involved in the study soon realized that if the squirrel they saw took the nut from one of the pots, they were better off raiding the other.

In highlighting an ability to learn by observation, scientists concluded that the squirrels' actions were indicative of abstract thought.

It's obviously impossible to know what prompted the squirrel in the video to behave in the way it did but, given the time of year, viewers on social media had a pretty good idea as to what may have caused it.

"Is he leaving us a gift for Christmas," the woman sharing the clip online wrote.

The response from social media was, perhaps unsurprisingly, a resounding yes. "THAT'S SQUIRREL SANTA," one viewer excitedly declared, with another agreeing: "That's SANTAAAAA SANTA IS A SQUIRREL."

A third added for good measure: "So many questions... but in conclusion... Santa is a squirrel."

Elsewhere, another viewer wrote: "Like I tell my kids, Santa's helpers come in all forms," with a fellow believer commenting: "Welp, there are Christmas elves, now Christmas squirrels.... I'd leave him some pecans."

The clip certainly appeared to be spreading the festive cheer, with one viewer writing that the clip was footage of a "Santa squirrel straight from the North Pole," while another lamented: "I haven't seen the Christmas squirrel yet this year."

Newsweek has contacted southernupnorth for comment.