Deer, as ruminant herbivores, do not consume snakes as part of their diet. Their digestive systems are adapted to process plant matter. While observations of deer interacting with non-plant materials, including animal remains, have occurred, these instances are rare and linked to specific nutritional deficiencies rather than predatory behavior.
What Deer Typically Eat
Their digestive system, featuring a four-chambered stomach, is specialized for breaking down tough cellulose found in plants. The rumen, the first and largest chamber, hosts microorganisms that ferment and break down ingested plant material. This allows deer to process cellulose and extract nutrients from their primary diet of various plant materials.
Their diet varies significantly with seasons and regional availability. Deer commonly consume browse, including leaves, twigs, and shoots of woody plants. They also eat forbs, which are herbaceous broad-leaved plants, along with hard mast like acorns and nuts, and soft mast such as berries and fruits. Grasses are eaten, though generally not a preferred food source.
The Curious Case of Deer and Non-Plant Material
Although deer are herbivores, they occasionally engage in behaviors like osteophagia (bone consumption) or geophagia (eating earth/soil). These behaviors are not for caloric energy or protein, but rather to supplement their diet with essential minerals. Deer may gnaw on bones, shed antlers, or dried carcasses to obtain minerals such as calcium and phosphorus.
Calcium and phosphorus are important for deer, especially for bucks during antler growth and for does during pregnancy and lactation. Antlers are primarily composed of these minerals, and their rapid annual growth places a high demand on a buck’s mineral reserves. Milk production for fawns also requires significant amounts of calcium and phosphorus. If these minerals are deficient in their plant-based diet, deer may resort to consuming non-plant materials to compensate.
Observations of deer interacting with dead animals or bones are uncommon and can be misinterpreted as predatory feeding. For instance, a deer might be seen chewing on animal remains, including a snake, not for sustenance, but to seek mineral content within the bones or skeleton. This behavior is a survival mechanism to address nutritional gaps, particularly when natural plant sources are insufficient.
Answering the Core Question: Not a Dietary Staple
Deer are not predators and do not regularly consume snakes. Any observed instances of a deer interacting with a snake or other animal remains represent an extremely rare, opportunistic behavior driven by a need for minerals, not a shift in their herbivorous nature.
Such occurrences are exceptions to their dietary patterns and highlight their adaptability in challenging nutritional environments. Deer function as grazers and browsers, primarily relying on vegetation for their nutritional needs. While they may occasionally seek mineral supplements from unusual sources, this does not classify them as omnivores or predators.