Is it true that squirrels eat snakeskin? If so, why on earth would squirrels do this?
It is true, but you might be surprised to learn that this is a defense mechanism. As researchers at the University of California Davis have observed, some ground squirrels and rock squirrels do indeed eat, or at least chew, snakeskin.
As for why, it has a lot to do with the fact that rattle snakes eat squirrels. So to protect themselves from becoming lunch, squirrels chew discarded snakeskin and then smear it on their fur to mask their squirrelly scent. Snakes that come upon a squirrel covered with chewed snakeskin may think they're encountered another snake.
Squirrels actually have an entire arsenal of snake-fighting weapons. Since snakes use infrared rays to stalk prey, some squirrels can heat up their tails to make them seem larger than they really are. California ground squirrels can also assess how dangerous a rattlesnake is by the sound of its rattle and some squirrels have evolved resistance to snake venom.
So squirrels may look cute and harmless, but they can be pretty tough.
Special thanks goes to Donald Owings, University of California Davis, for reviewing this episode.
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Sources
Squirrels Use Old Snake Skins To Mask Their Scent From Predators, Science Daily
