I guess it makes sense because some of the ground dwelling squirrels are but I'd have never guessed Fox Squirrels are carnivores until I saw one eating one of his relatives that a Hawk I accidentally spooked abandoned.
The hawk that had just killed a Squirrel right below my deck and then took off when I went outside early this morning. When I went back out about noon there was another Squirrel chowing down on it's head. I checked on him couple of other times in the afternoon and he was still there chowing down.
Learn something new every day.
Oh....and I also lost my appetite for Squirrel.
Used to have a pet groundhog that loved meat-especially hot dogs,also ice cream.About the only green stuff he would eat was lettuce and clover.I know squirrel's will rob bird nest.
I guess I learned something new today too.
Maybe depends on available food locally. Old wives tale said boar squirrels would visit nest of newborn and castrate any male offspring.
I've seen birds pecking around the exit wound of fresh killed deer.
Seen yellow jacket wasp land on fresh skinned deer and suck "juice" from the flesh.
I had heard that they could eat their own especially the babies of other squirrels. It also reminded me of seeing a bald eagle eating on a dead deer. I didn't think of them as scavengers either.
I had heard that they could eat their own especially the babies of other squirrels. It also reminded me of seeing a bald eagle eating on a dead deer. I didn't think of them as scavengers either.
Bald eagles are huge scavengers , more like a pretty buzzard than anything else. Friends in Wva have a "boneyard " for deer carcasses, hogs or beef bones. Not unusual to run off 4-5 eagles every time you go by.
Squirrels raid bird nest in the spring and will eat baby birds.
Animals will eat opportunistic food whenever it is found. Nature is cruel. Food is eat where every it is found and when it is found.
Red squirrels in Alaska are the leading cause of mortality in leverets according to a very knowledgable trapper I know here. They kill them in their dens and like MOGC said, they raid nests for eggs. I've seen beaver eat meat as well.
Gray squirrels will cannibalize each other. We had a pet rabbit that would eat dog kibble and fried chicken. Isn't there a video showing a doe eating a sparrow or something?
FG,
interesting story, thanks. I had heard of them killing young in the nests but never eating "carrion". Makes sense in a way though, as protein is valuable however one can get it.
Funny I just ran across this topic, I just texted my sister today about rabbits eating mulberries as there was one here eating the ones that had fallen on the driveway. She texted back that her kid's pet rabbits eat slugs even. She sees them eating them on the lawn when they are out of their cage
Don't let the anti's know, they'll be upset that their vegetarian/vegan animal friends are omnivores. They just might have conniptions!
Mallards on the rivers out west here will eat on salmon carcasses too, so I always have a chuckle when I hear some guys say they only eat mallards 'cause they only eat plants.
Hope you're enjoying this cooler weather,
Geno
PS, the slug eating has not changed my mind about eating rabbits though!
That was right in the middle of an awfully hard winter Geno.
While the local Rabbits were eating my Rose bushes and Junipers the Squirrel was surviving on kin.
Like I said...."hard winter".....Donner Party hard....
I had heard that they could eat their own especially the babies of other squirrels. It also reminded me of seeing a bald eagle eating on a dead deer. I didn't think of them as scavengers either.
Just remember our early ancestors did the same thing, thus really nothing has changed. [bleep] have been observed doing the same thing except they go out and kill for it.
Cheers NC
Deer and cattle will eat meat also.
How's your appetite now?
Deer and cattle will eat meat also.
How's your appetite now?
I feel the same way about that as I do when my dogs eat horse/cow chit.
I don't care as long as I don't have to see it.