A common question about skunks’ dietary habits is whether they eat moles. While skunks are opportunistic omnivores and may occasionally consume a mole, moles are not a primary food source for them. Skunks primarily consume insects and other readily available sustenance.
Skunk Dietary Habits
Skunks are omnivorous, meaning their diet includes both plant and animal matter. Their food choices often depend on seasonal availability and location. During warmer months, a large portion of their diet consists of insects, such as beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, and various larvae, including grubs. Skunks use their long front claws to dig for these subterranean insects.
Beyond insects, skunks also consume small rodents like mice, voles, and shrews, as well as bird eggs and carrion. They forage for fruits, berries, and nuts when available. While skunks might eat a mole if they encounter one, moles are not a regular part of their diet. This is largely due to the mole’s predominantly underground lifestyle and the skunk’s foraging methods, which focus on digging for grubs rather than actively hunting moles in their deep tunnel systems.
Mole Biology and Food Sources
Moles are subterranean mammals that spend nearly their entire lives underground, creating extensive tunnel systems. Their physical adaptations are highly suited for this lifestyle, including strong, shovel-like front feet with large claws for digging, and cylindrical bodies. Moles have small eyes, providing limited vision adapted to dark environments. Their soft fur allows movement in any direction through tunnels.
The primary food source for moles consists of invertebrates found within the soil. Earthworms are a staple of their diet and can make up a significant portion, sometimes up to 80%, of what a mole consumes. Moles also feed on grubs, insect larvae, centipedes, and other small invertebrates. They use their sensitive snouts and acute hearing to locate prey underground. Moles are voracious eaters, capable of consuming nearly their body weight in food daily.
Animals That Prey on Moles
A variety of animals prey on moles more effectively than skunks. Snakes, such as garter snakes and rat snakes, can enter mole tunnels to ambush their prey. Birds of prey, including owls and hawks, can spot moles when they briefly surface or detect their movement from above.
Mammalian predators like foxes, coyotes, and badgers also prey on moles. These animals often use their keen sense of smell and digging abilities to unearth moles from their shallow tunnels. Domestic animals like cats and dogs also hunt moles.