Raccoons eat a variety of foods, raccoons living in urban areas will not turn their noses up to eating foods from your trash if they have to.
Wild raccoons eat a variety of plant and animal matter as well, even eating some dangerous animals. But how about snakes? Do raccoons eat snakes? This article looks into it
Raccoons do eat snakes, snakes offer raccoons protein as well as other vitamins and minerals that raccoons cannot get from eating plant matter alone
Table of Contents
Do raccoons eat snakes?
Raccoons and humans can be quite similar when it comes to what we eat, both humans and raccoons eat plant matter and animal matter, this makes us both omnivores.
These animals need to eat a varied diet in order to be healthy, this involves eating meat, like snakes, from time to time.
Benefits of raccoons eating snakes:
Protein is the main nutrient that raccoons benefit from as a result of eating snakes. Protein is a vital nutrient that all animals need. This nutrient is needed for cell regeneration and the development of body tissue
Raccoons need to eat meat from time to time, animal proteins are complete proteins but not all vegetable proteins are complete proteins. Complete proteins provide all the essential amino acids that both humans and animals, raccoons included, need to survive.
Raccoons that eat a plant-only diet will suffer from a lack of complete proteins, this will make the animal sick.
Animal meat also contains vitamins and minerals that plant matter alone cannot offer.
In addition to the benefits mentioned above, if a raccoon eats a snake, as opposed to plant matter, the animal will feel more satisfied. Protein needs more energy to digest than plant matter does, thus, raccoons will feel satiated after eating a snake.
How do raccoons kill snakes?
It is unlikely that a raccoon will kill a snake with its bare hands, it needs a large and hard object to safely kill a snake.
When raccoons find a suitable snake to eat, the animal will grab a large rock and crush the snake’s head using this rock. Using a rock keeps the raccoon from having to physically fight the snake with its bare hands and potentially getting hurt.
Raccoons are designed to eat snakes:
A raccoon’s body is designed to eat both plant and animal matter.
A raccoon paw has five fingers just as human hands do, these dexterous paws allow them to grab snakes and manipulate them to their liking. The claws at the end of the raccoon’s fingers dig into the snake allowing for a better grip of the reptile
Raccoons have strong and sharp teeth. These teeth easily tear into metal like chicken wire, and thus can easily tear into, as well as, chew and grind, raw meat like the body of a snake.
Because raccoons have had to eat raw meat for so long, their stomach juices are strong enough to digest and break down chunks of snake meat. These juices are also able to digest any bacteria or pathogens that may be present on the snake’s body
Raccoons are also able to eat venomous snakes.
That being said, because raccoons are lazy hunters, they will only hunt when they need to.
Hunting and killing prey takes up a lot of energy. The raccoon will only hunt and kill a snake if it has nothing else to eat. If plant matter is unavailable, or other prey animals, like insects, are unavailable, then the raccoon will hunt for and eat a snake.
If there are other food options available, then the raccoon will likely eat them and ignore the snake.
Do raccoons eat snake eggs?
Yes, raccoons do eat snake eggs, raccoons eat a variety of eggs, bird and snake included. Eggs are a satiating meal for raccoons, these mammals will prey on eggs when the mother snake is away.
Raccoons are opportunistic, if they’re on the hunt for food, and they notice an unattended clutch of snake eggs, the raccoon will sneak up to the clutch, and grab an egg to take it for a meal
Do baby raccoons eat snakes?
Baby raccoons don’t eat snakes, once a baby raccoon is born, the mother ventures off into the wild looking for more food to eat. She looks for more food to eat because she needs to eat more than usual in order to produce milk for her baby.
A baby raccoon will dine only on its mother’s milk for the first 6 weeks of its life. It cannot eat any solid foods at this time because its body cannot digest them yet. After the first 6 weeks are over, the baby raccoon will be able to eat solid foods, this includes snakes.
They will not be able to hunt and catch their own food at this time, the mother will introduce them to foods like fish, frogs, nuts, and berries and teach them to hunt.
What kind of snakes do raccoons eat?
Raccoons are natural predators to a variety of snakes, these animals will eat both venomous and non-venomous snakes. Snakes that raccoons eat include:
- Copperheads
- Rattlesnakes, click the link to learn more
- Garter snakes
Although raccoons are able to prey on larger adult snakes, they find it easier to prey on smaller and younger snakes.
Adult snakes are faster than young snakes and have more advanced skills when it comes to escaping raccoons. Preying on younger snakes will yield better results for raccoons
Conclusion
In conclusion, yes raccoons do eat snakes, snakes are a great source of complete proteins for raccoons, snakes are also quite satiating for raccoons.
A raccoon’s body is designed to be able to eat snakes, from its paws, claws, fingers, teeth, and digestive juices.
These animals will even eat venomous snakes. Snake eggs are also on the menu for raccoons, snake eggs are a satisfying and easy meal for raccoons
Baby raccoons aren’t able to eat snakes but as they grow, their mothers teach them how to hunt for snakes safely