This video of a red stag (large deer species commonly found in Europe) rolling around in a mud pit has gone viral, and for good reason. Seeing a wild animal let loose, splashing and flopping around in the mud is a sight to see. Thanks to this trail camera that was set up at whatever-the-mud-version-of-a-watering-hole is, we got to see one particular red stag get really pumped about playing in the shallow, dirty water.

Albeit a very messy act, most mammals love to roll around in mud holes. Doing so actually helps out the wild animals in multiple facets of life. Not only does wallowing in the mud provide a comforting sensation to the stag, it also allows them to cool down. On a hot summer day, a stag might use a cool pile of mud to lower their body temperature if their sweat glands aren't doing the trick.

And that's not all. Red stags might also choose to roll around in the watery dirt for scenting and marking purposes during the rutting season. The act is actually called "wallowing," and the process helps them attract females (called cows) by marking themselves with strong odors from their surrounding area. Wallowing typically picks up during the rut, and red deer sometimes even enhance their scent by peeing in the mud pit before rolling around in it.

Gross, I know. But it's nature.

And to top it all off, a stag can use mud to relieve insect bites that they have on their skin, or even prevent bug bites from happening. Mud that's caked onto their fur can help keep mosquitos - as well as ticks and fleas - at bay, especially on the areas of their body that are considered the most vulnerable to bug bites.

I'd imagine that's what you call a game changer for a red stag

Though all of those mud-rolling-options are in play, I genuinely like to think that the stag in this video is just doing it for the love of the game. Considering that the wild animal lets out one of the loudest, energetic bugles directly after getting out of the mud, I'd argue that it was just splashing in the mud for the hell of it. It was really giving off "stag version of a water park" vibes.

Hopefully the above video is able to give you a little pick me up. It certainly did for social media users that stumbled upon the now viral video: