Skunks are common mammals found across North America, easily recognized by their distinctive black and white fur. While often associated with their potent defensive spray, these creatures are also notable for their highly adaptable, omnivorous diet. Their feeding habits allow them to thrive in diverse environments, from wild natural habitats to areas with significant human presence.
Skunks’ Natural Diet and Foraging
Skunks consume a wide variety of foods, reflecting their opportunistic feeding strategy. Insects form a significant portion of their diet, especially during warmer months. Skunks actively seek out and consume grubs, beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, and various larvae, often digging small, cone-shaped holes in lawns or grassy areas to unearth them. They also consume honeybees, hornets, and wasps, with their thick fur providing protection from stings.
Beyond insects, skunks hunt small animals such as mice, rats, moles, chipmunks, and ground squirrels. They also prey on small birds and their eggs, as well as reptiles and amphibians like lizards, salamanders, and frogs. Carrion can also be a food source.
Plant matter is another important component of a skunk’s natural diet. This includes a range of fruits and berries, such as blackberries, blueberries, wild grapes, cherries, apples, and melons. Skunks also eat nuts like walnuts, pecans, and hickory nuts, along with seeds, roots, tubers, leaves, and various grasses. Their diet shifts seasonally, with insects being more prevalent in spring and summer, while plant matter, small mammals, and carrion become more important in fall and winter when other food sources are scarcer. Skunks primarily forage at night, using their keen sense of smell and hearing to locate food, as their eyesight is poor, and their powerful forearms and claws are well-suited for digging.
Skunks and Human-Related Food Sources
When skunks encounter human habitation, they readily adapt their diet to available resources. Scavenging from garbage cans and compost piles becomes a common feeding behavior, as these provide easily accessible food scraps. The presence of such waste can significantly attract skunks to residential areas.
Pet food left outdoors is a highly attractive food source for skunks. The high protein and calorie content of these foods make them appealing, leading skunks to frequent properties where they are available. Skunks also consume birdseed that has fallen from feeders, especially during colder months when natural food sources are less abundant.
Gardens can also become a target for foraging skunks, as they seek out cultivated fruits and vegetables like corn, carrots, tomatoes, and squash. They may also dig in gardens in search of grubs and other insects. While these human-related food sources supplement their natural diet, they can become a substantial part of a skunk’s intake in urban and suburban environments due to their ease of access and caloric value.