Why Some Squirrels Hunt Lizards and Other Small Animals

The lizard in this extraordinary Instagram post made the mistake of thinking that he had nothing to fear from squirrels. After all, these cute rodents with bushy tails are only interested in collecting acorns and nuts, right? No, that’s not actually the case; squirrels have been spotted catching and eating other creatures, and it can come as a shock! Here we will explain the science behind this behavior.

Eastern Gray Squirrels in Florida

Florida is home to the fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) and the southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans). The bushy tailed rodent in the above Instagram post, however, is another native Florida squirrel called the eastern gray squirrel. They can grow to around 17 to 20 inches in length and have grayish-brown fur with paler undersides. These squirrels live in both woodland and urban areas and like to be near oaks and hickories. They spend much of their time in trees but often feed on the ground.

Gray Squirrel Diet

Gray squirrels have a preference for acorns. They also eat seeds (such as sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds) and nuts (including walnuts, hickory nuts, and beechnuts), and will store these to eat during the winter. Food stashes are located using their excellent sense of smell. Squirrels also eat berries, tree buds, and bark. However, that’s not the whole story. Squirrels are actually omnivores, meaning they can eat both plants and animals. Squirrels are quite happy to eat insects (such as grasshoppers), birds’ eggs and hatchlings, and amphibians. They will also eat small mammals and, as we see in this clip, lizards!

Squirrel Eating a Lizard

Lizards are an excellent source of protein, calcium, and nitrogen for squirrels. These rodents are considered facultative predators, meaning they can switch between eating plants and hunting animals depending on what is available. So, if there are not many acorns around, the squirrels may hunt a lizard! Research has shown that the frequency of predation in squirrels is influenced by the season, climate, and the availability of plant sources of calcium and nitrogen. The gender and reproductive condition of the squirrel are also factors. Squirrels can efficiently digest meat and obtain similar energy levels from it as carnivores do. However, they are not particularly skilled predators and expend less energy collecting an acorn than chasing a lizard. Therefore, squirrels rely on lizards not perceiving them as a threat—a mistake, as the lizard in this clip discovered!