Only in the South: Squirrel on Wood

Growing up in the south, I have had some hunters and fishermen in my family. My great-grandpa had a large mouth bass mounted on a board over a doorway at his house and I used to stand under it looking up and wonder what its life must have been like before its present state. 

I've seen deer heads, moose heads, wild boar heads and even the occasional taxidermied jackalope. But this weekend, at a local antique shop, I saw something I'd never seen before in the form of a stuffed and mounted squirrel. 

Really? A squirrel? To quote Carrie Bradshaw, it's just a rat with a cuter outfit. I didn't even know you could stuff squirrels (to which my southern beau replied "oh yeah, you can stuff anything so long as you can find the right sized eyes"). 

All I can say is only in the south. And what's more is the price. $49! I kid you not. I have several pairs of shoes that didn't cost $49. We got our 15-year old Yorkshire Terrier for free and he's ALIVE (for now). Is someone really going to buy this bizarre artifact for $49? 

It makes me wonder if this is some sort of special squirrel. Perhaps his ancestors survived Sherman's burning of Atlanta. 

Can anyone help me make sense of this madness?