Squirrels stash more than 200 walnuts under hood of car

Oct. 9 (UPI) -- A Pittsburgh woman who detected a burning odor and heard a strange noise while driving her car looked under the hood and discovered a squirrel had stashed grass and more than 200 walnuts on top of her engine.

Holly Persic said she hadn't looked under the hood of her car since an inspection about a month before she discovered the squirrel's winter stash Monday.

"They were everywhere, under the battery, near the radiator fan," Persic's husband, Chris, told CNN. "The walnuts on the engine block were black and smelt like they were definitely roasting."

The Persics said they had earlier noticed there weren't many walnuts in their yard, despite the nuts starting to fall from trees a few weeks ago, but they were shocked to find out where the missing objects had ended up.

The couple removed the grass and walnuts from the top of the engine and took the car to a mechanic, who removed the protective plate from under the vehicle, allowing dozens more walnuts to rain down.

"Long story short, if you park outside, do yourself a favor and check under the hood every once in awhile," Chris Persic wrote on Facebook.