Happy Friday, have some pictures of squirrels posing like superheroes

We interrupt your anticipation of new Marvel content to bring you news that if you photograph a squirrel juuuuust right, you can make it look like the woodland creature has just pulled off one hell of a superhero landing. People have known about the phenomenon for a little while (the first reference we could find online appears to be this Reddit post from July 2019), but frankly, we don’t think it’s had the attention it deserves.

Thankfully, considering how hard superhero landings are on your knees, it doesn’t sound like squirrels actually pose like this after jumping out of a tree. Instead, as several Redditors have pointed out, they seem to assume this position when they want to scratch their stomach with a back leg. The single arm up in the air gives them space to itch. You can see what it looks like in motion in this YouTube clip or via the GIF below. (Note the subtle bicep kiss.)

Here’s a collection of photos posted to Reddit by u/GallowBoob.