When Australian TikTok user @Daveinmurica moved to the United States, he knew he’d encounter a few cultural surprises — but he didn’t expect one of them to come with fur and a bushy tail.
One afternoon, Dave was relaxing at home when he noticed something odd: a patio cushion was mysteriously moving on its own. Curious, he pulled out his phone to record what was happening — and moments later, he came face-to-face with a creature he’d never seen roaming free in Australia.
It was a squirrel — cheeky, curious, and completely unbothered by the fact that it had an audience.
For anyone from North America, a squirrel might seem like no big deal. But for Dave, this was a genuine wildlife encounter. Squirrels, after all, don’t live in Australia — they’re native to almost every other continent except that one and Antarctica.
As it turns out, this wasn’t Dave’s first run-in with his new furry neighbor. He’d seen the little thief before and even given him a name: Gary (though, as Dave joked, Gary might actually be a “she”).
This time, Gary had been caught in the act of stealing stuffing from Dave’s outdoor cushion — likely to build a cozy nest nearby. Dave couldn’t help but laugh as he filmed the determined squirrel hard at work, completely captivated by its boldness and charm.
He later shared the video online, calling the experience “a close encounter with America’s most exotic animal.” In a follow-up clip, Dave playfully reflected on how strange it felt to find squirrels fascinating — when to most Americans, they’re as ordinary as pigeons.
But that’s the magic of perspective.
To locals, Gary might be just another squirrel. To Dave, he’s a tiny reminder that every place in the world has its own kind of wonder — and sometimes, you don’t need to travel far to find something extraordinary.
