Why do squirrels eat acorns?

This time of year, a squirrel’s main diet consists of nuts, seeds and, of course, acorns. If they’re not busy consuming the acorns, the tree-climbing critters are busy storing them for their winter food supply. Tannin is a bitter-tasting chemical that works to protect the acorn from insects and animals, like squirrels.Click to see full answer. Also to know is, why do we not eat acorns? Acorns are generally safe to eat Acorns have gained a bad reputation because they contain tannins — a group of bitter plant compounds that may be harmful when consumed in high amounts. Tannins are considered an antinutrient, which means that they reduce your body’s ability to absorb essential nutrients from food (2).Also, why do squirrels hide their nuts? Squirrels hide nuts this way as preparation for cold weather when otherwise food will be scarce. Eastern gray squirrels, in particular, bury their nuts far and wide. Scientists themselves aren’t even quite sure of everything that goes into this stashing behavior, but they have some ideas. Additionally, do squirrels eat acorns when they are green? If squirrels are gorging on green acorns in their effort to gain weight, the tannin is going to give them a lot of extra energy, which in a sense is good because it will help them get the job of scatter hoarding all those acorns completed. So, the truth about green acorns being poisonous to squirrels is false.What do squirrels eat other than acorns?Squirrels enthusiastically collect and eat pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, acorns, cashews, chestnuts, hickory nuts, pine nuts out of pine cones, and macadamia nuts. Nuts are an optimal source of fat and protein for all types of squirrels.

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