A large anthropology class came to an early end Thursday in Foellinger Auditorium when an individual’s acrobatic stunt left students screaming and some even standing on their seats.

The chaos was not caused by a mischievous student, but rather by a frenetic squirrel.

“I saw it while it was in the air and when it hit the floor,” said Mo Crinion, sophomore in LAS and a student in the Biology of Human Behavior class. “I actually didn’t know what it was, I didn’t see it was an animal until it was running around,” Crinion said.

The squirrel managed to enter Foellinger Auditorium through the roof before plummeting from the ceiling to the ground.

“When I heard the thump, I thought it exploded,” said Kaitlyn Marovich, freshman in LAS.

The squirrel survived the sizable drop and also managed to leave dozens of students screaming or laughing as it darted through the aisles.

When the rampant rodent jumped onto the stage, screaming turned to applause and a brief moment of relief before the squirrel once again dove into the seats.

“I was dying laughing because I was in the balcony and it wasn’t going to get me,” Marovich said.

The course’s instructor dismissed students about 40 minutes early in fear of someone getting bitten.

“I’m happy that I have a story to tell,” Marovich said.