OTTAWA -- A fox that snuck onto an Ottawa city bus has achieved temporary Internet fame after photos of the critter sleeping on a seat circulated online.

OC Transpo says the fox climbed through the open front door of an out-of-service bus parked at one of its garages Sunday morning and quickly settled in for a nap.

It says an employee called police, which alerted the Humane Society, but the fox eventually took off on its own.

The agency joked on Twitter that the fox -- whose image spread on social media within minutes -- wouldn't replace its existing mascot, OC Owl.

It says there have been reports of birds and even a raccoon making their way onto parked buses before.