Do squirrels eat acorns? The answer to this question is yes, squirrels do in fact eat acorns.
Acorns are the fruit of oak trees and squirrels are known to eat acorns and bury them for later consumption.
Interestingly, squirrels prefer different types of acorns.
For example, white oak acorns are the type of acorn that most squirrels will eat, but red oak acorns are usually only buried by squirrels if there is no other food available.
Do squirrels remember where they bury their nuts?
Let’s explore!
What Is An Acorn?
An acorn is the nut of an oak tree. It consists of a hard shell that encloses a small, single seed. The shell is typically dark brown or black, and the seed is surrounded by a fleshy, white tissue called the kernel.
Acorns are a food source for many animals, including squirrels, birds, and pigs.
Humans have also been known to eat acorns, though they are usually roasted or boiled first to remove their bitter taste.
Acorns play an important role in the life cycle of oak trees; they are typically dispersed by animals who eat them and then deposit the seeds in other areas through their droppings.
Oak trees traditionally symbolize strength and stability, and the acorn is often used as a symbol of new beginnings.
Related: 2 Pistachios A Day: Can Squirrels Eat Pistachios? How Many?
Do Squirrels Eat Acorns?
One popular fall activity is observing squirrels store acorns for the winter.
This has led people to question whether squirrels actually eat acorns, and the answer is yes.
Acorns compose a large percentage of a squirrel’s diet during autumn because they are rich in fat and protein, two nutrients that help squirrels survive winter.
Oftentimes, these animals will collect more acorns than they can eat and hide them away in designated cache sites for later use.
Wintertime can be tough for animals since food becomes more scarce.
When this happens, squirrels will turn to their acorn stores as a source of sustenance.
Even though acorns aren’t the most appetizing meal, they play an important role in a squirrel’s diet.
What Kind Of Acorns Do Squirrels Eat?
Somewhere between 75 and 90 percent of a squirrel’s diet consists of acorns.
But not just any acorn will do — squirrels are selective eaters, and they prefer the acorns from certain types of oak trees.
White oaks produce acorns that are high in fat and easy to eat, while red oaks produce acorns that are more difficult to crack open and are lower in fat.
As a result, squirrels will often bury red oak acorns so that they can be eaten later on when food is scarce.
The tannin content is also higher in red oaks, which deters some animals from eating them.
However, squirrels seem to be immune to the effects of tannin, and they will happily munch on red oak acorns throughout the year.
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Do Squirrels Eat Acorns From Oak Trees?
Squirrels are largely known because of their love for acorns sourced from oak trees; in fact, these little nuts make up an important part of the squirrel’s diet by providing them with needed energy and nutrients.
White oaks typically produce a fat-rich kind of acorn that is easy to preserve – which explains why they’re one of the squirrel’s favorite sources.
Regardless of the type of oak tree, acorns are an important part of the squirrel’s diet and play a vital role in their survival.
However, they will also eat acorns from other types of oak trees, including red oaks and live oaks.
In fact, most squirrels will eat around 85% of the white acorns they find and bury 60% of the red acorns.
Do Squirrels Eat Green Acorns?
Young acorns that are still in the early stages of development are called green acorns. Unlike mature acorns, which are brown and have a hard shell, green acorns are small, soft, and bright green in color.
While most squirrels prefer to eat mature acorns because they taste better, they will also eat green ones if nothing else is available.
Green acorns aren’t poisonous to squirrels; however, they don’t taste as good as mature ones.
Although not as tasty as mature acorns, green acorns contain a high amount of tannins that make the taste bitter.
Green acorns are easier to digest than mature acorns and provide more moisture, making them a vital food source for squirrels during periods of drought. Most eventually eat mostly mature acorns as they become available, but green acorns remain an essential part of their diet when food is scarce.
Why Do Squirrels Eat Acorns?
If you’ve ever seen a squirrel eating an acorn, you may have wondered why they bother.
After all, acorns are pretty small and not particularly appetizing to humans. However, for squirrels, acorns are an important source of food.
As ScienceDaily reports, Peter Smallwood, associate professor of biology at the University of Richmond explains that for a squirrel “the acorn is a package of energy that can be easily opened and eaten in less than half the time needed for other, harder nuts or stored for use months later.”
There are a few reasons why acorns are good for squirrels:
Nutrition
As small as they may be, acorns are actually packed with nutrients that squirrels need to survive.
Acorns contain high levels of protein, fat, and carbohydrates, as well as essential vitamins and minerals like calcium and phosphorus.
For a squirrel, an acorn is a veritable power-packed meal.
Abundance
In addition to being nutritious, acorns are also plentiful.
A mature oak tree can produce thousands of acorns in a single season, and since there are hundreds of different species of oak trees scattered across the globe, that means there’s no shortage of this particular food source for squirrels.
Easy To Forage
Acorns are also relatively easy for squirrels to procure.
Unlike other nuts that grow high up in trees or in hard-to-reach places, acorns fall right down to the ground where they can be easily collected by hungry critters.
Additionally, because most oak trees lose their leaves in the wintertime, collecting acorns is much easier for squirrels when there’s no foliage in the way.
Safe To Eat
Finally, acorns are relatively safe for squirrels to eat. Other nuts like walnuts or chestnuts have hard shells that can break a squirrel’s teeth if they’re not careful.
Acorns also contain tannins—bitter compounds that can make them unpalatable (and even poisonous) to animals—but because Squirrels have evolved to tolerate tannins, they can safely consume these nuts without any ill effects.
Next time you see a squirrel chowing down on an acorn, remember that there’s a good reason why they’re doing it.
Acorns provide them with essential nutrients, they’re abundantly available, they’re easy to collect, and they’re relatively safe to eat.
All things considered, it’s no wonder that these little nuts play such an important role in the lives of our furry friends.
How Many Acorns Does A Squirrel Eat A Day?
A squirrel eating an acorn is a popular image in the fall.
These nimble rodents accumulate food supplies to see them through the winter months, which is a normal sight. But how many acorns does a squirrel consume in a day?
A single squirrel typically consumes 2-3 acorns daily, which equates to 700-1000 over the course of a year.
Keep in mind that this number is based upon various conditions, like the availability of acorns and the size of the squirrel.
Even though it may not be as many as you think, these animals can still eat a lot in such a short amount of time.
Do Squirrels Remember Where They Bury The Nuts?
Squirrels are constantly on the lookout for something delectable to eat.
While it may appear that they’re preparing food for the winter, recent research suggests that they may be more intelligent than we previously believed.
Some squirrels have been observed pretending the burial of nuts in order to fake out other squirrels.
But how do they remember where they bury all their nuts? Studies have shown that squirrels have an impressive 95% nut retrieval rate.
This shows that they rely on spatial memory, rather than smell, to recall where they store their food.
So the next time you see a squirrel busy burying its nuts, you can rest assured knowing that it will be able to find them again come wintertime.
Why Do Squirrels Shake Each Nut They Find?
Before eating or storing them away for winter, squirrels are often seen shaking or banging nuts.
Some people might think that the squirrel is trying to break open the nut when this occurs, but that’s not always accurate.
Instead, it is more probable that the squirrel is trying to establish if the nut is a quality one.
Don’t be alarmed the next time you see a squirrel shaking a nut – it’s just doing its due diligence! By giving the nut a shake, the squirrel can check for weevils or other damage that might make it unsuitable for storage.
If everything looks good, then the squirrel will save the nut for later. But if there is any damage to the nut, or if it isn’t good for storage, then the squirrel will usually eat it right away.
Does Squirrel Needs The Oak Tree More than Oak Tree Needs The Squirrel?
Though it’s commonly thought that oak trees and squirrels have a symbiotic relationship, where each benefits from the other, some scientists believe that the oak tree actually needs the squirrel more than vice versa.
One key reason for this is that acorns are not only a key food source for squirrels, but they’re also crucial for the survival of the oak tree.
When a squirrel buries an acorn, it’s often much farther away from the parent tree than where it found it – thus providing new opportunities for growth.
Squirrels bury acorns as a method of food preservation and seed dispersal.
Squirrels also bury acorns as a means of storing food over the winter. This action, on the other hand, raises the possibility that an acorn will sprout and grow into a full tree.
In other words, many oaks may go extinct if squirrels didn’t eat their nuts and store them for later.
What Do Squirrels Eat When There Are No Acorns?
Squirrels are always on the lookout for food and spend a lot of time looking for it.
In fall, they store up acorns to use during winter.
If there are no more acorns available, they’ll eat anything else that’s accessible, including seeds, nuts, fruits, vegetables and insects.
Squirrels have been known to raid bird feeders and garbage cans in search of food in urban areas. Squirrels may turn to tree bark or twigs during the winter when food is scarce.
Squirrels are adaptable animals that will consume whatever is accessible, even if it’s nuts and seeds.
So, if you see a squirrel rummaging through your trash can, don’t be too concerned—he’s just looking for something to eat!
Conclusion
Do squirrels eat acorns? Yes, squirrels eat acorns from oak trees. Acorns are a key food source for squirrels and help them to survive the winter months.
While squirrels typically prefer acorns, they are adaptable creatures and will make do with whatever is available.
They also eat seeds, fruits, vegetables, flowers, tree bark, or twigs if acorns are scarce.