Don’t let its cuteness fool you: the little owl from this viral video is actually a fearsome, rodent-eating predator. It just so happens to also be tiny and adorable.  

The commotion-causing owl in question is a very young northern saw-whet owl, captured in a viral video interacting with a Boulder County, Colorado sheriff's deputy. Even though it only recently emerged from its nest, the tiny owl in the video is actually almost full-sized. “You could stick one in a tomato paste can,” says Glenn Proudfoot, a research associate and owl expert at Vassar College.

Despite their diminutive size, these little owls shouldn’t be underestimated. “At this age they’re kind of cute and roly-poly and fuzzy,” says Wildlife rehabilitation coordinator Michael