Skunks are highly opportunistic feeders as they do not rely on a specific food for their consumption. They live in burrows or holes abandoned by other animals. Skunks may not be as active in winter as they are in summer and they will sleep several weeks in logs.
What Do Skunks Eat
They are omnivorous, feeding on both plant and animal but they do change their diet with the change of season.
Generally skunks feed on larvae, grubs, small insects, lizards, frogs, snakes, salamanders, moles, small rodents, eggs, and earthworms.
They are also known to eat fruits including berries, and grasses, roots, nuts, fungi, and leaves.
Skunks can also be found in populated areas. Here they feed on garbage left out by humans.
They are nocturnal hunters and they also eat small reptiles and fish.
Almost all skunk species live in America with the exception of Asian stink badger which is added to the skunk family in the recent times.
During spring season when insects are available in large numbers, skunks often rely on animals than on plants. These insects include grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles.
Some animals make up the regular diet of skunks such as house mice field mice. Skunks usually eat these mice in winter. However, when there is not enough food they eat cottontail rabbits, rats, and other small mammals.
Skunks have large feet and powerful claws strong enough to dig deep into the ground to seek food. Carcasses, voles, wasps, bees, and beetle larvae are some of their favorite foods.
They have a fairly different technique of killing their prey in that they often roll caterpillar on the ground to get rid of its hairs before eating it.
Skunks readily hunt honeybees and because they have a thick fur, honeybees’ sting does not penetrate into skunk’s body.
They also feed on lagomorphs, bird eggs, carrion, amphibian, and at times on crops such as corns.
Leave a Reply