The curious squirrel is an Internet star — thanks to a Minnesota couple’s photograph.

Melissa and Jackson Brandts of Watertown were on vacation in Alberta, Canada, last May when the squirrel popped up in their camera shot.

The Brandts, both 29, were sitting in the background on the shore of Lake Minnewanka with the camera set on a rock. Up close is the squirrel — attracted, the couple thinks, by the sound of the camera focusing.

The couple submitted the photo for National Geographic’s “Your Shot” contest.

Jackson Brandts said the couple has received e-mails and phone calls from Canada, Australia, Italy and South Korea. Melissa Brandts said Friday the attention the photo has received is “just crazy.”

Find the couple’s photo also online at National Geographic’s Web site.
Associated Press