THE TUFTED GROUND SQUIRREL

You know when you stare at cute things for too long and they start to look creepy? I'm thinking garden gnomes, baby dolls, any child in a princess outfit and all cats. Well, now there's another one to add to the list.

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The tufted ground squirrel (rheithrosciurus macrotis) might look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, but according to the Dayak hunters of Borneo where it lives, it's a coldblooded killer.

Dubbed the "vampire squirrel," the ruthless rodent is said to hurl itself onto the backs of passing deer, use its razor-sharp teeth to slash through the jugular vein and then leave the animals to bleed to death. Locals who have discovered disembowelled deer carcasses in forests believe that the squirrels then return to the kill site and feast on the deer's heart, liver and stomach contents. Meanwhile, in villages close to the forest's edge, tufted ground squirrels are said to kill domestic chickens and gorge on their hearts and livers.