Skunks are omnivorous animals with a varied diet that changes with the seasons and availability of food. Their diet includes both animal and plant matter. Typical foods skunks eat:
- Insects and larvae such as grasshoppers, beetles, crickets, bees, wasps, ants, and beetle larvae. They often dig for these using their strong claws
- Small mammals including mice, rats, voles, moles, rabbits, and shrews
- Birds and bird eggs, particularly ground-nesting birds
- Amphibians and reptiles like frogs, salamanders, small snakes, and lizards
- Fruits, berries, nuts, seeds, roots, leaves, grasses, and fungi
- Carrion (dead animals) and scavenged food such as garbage, pet food, and birdseed
- Honey and honeybee larvae; skunks are known to raid beehives, protected by their thick fur against stings
Seasonal variations:
- In spring and summer, skunks primarily consume insects, fruits, berries, and nuts
- In autumn and winter, their diet shifts more toward small mammals, carrion, bird eggs, and available plant matter like nuts and seeds
Skunks use their keen sense of smell and strong claws to forage and hunt, often digging in soil or breaking apart logs to find insects and small prey
. In human-populated areas, skunks often scavenge from trash, pet food left outside, and bird feeders
. In summary, skunks eat a diverse diet consisting of insects, small animals, eggs, fruits, nuts, and scavenged human food, adapting their feeding habits to seasonal availability and environment
