Do Wild Hogs Eat Snakes?

Fact checked by Steven Lines, lifelong Hunter, and Outdoorsman.

Wild hogs (feral hogs/feral swine) live in a wide variety of areas and are rapidly growing in population numbers. Because of this, wild hogs have a very diverse diet that includes everything from plants, roots, insects, and even other smaller animals. But do wild hogs eat snakes?

Wild hogs are omnivores and opportunistic eaters, so they will eat snakes when given a chance. While they mainly feed on plants and roots, wild hogs have adapted to feed on just about anything, including meat. This allows them to adjust and live just about anywhere as well as reproduce exceptionally quickly.

It may be surprising to many people when they learn that wild hogs will eat other animals such as snakes. Let’s take a better look at the habits and diets of wild hogs and just how often they choose to eat snakes, birds, and whatever other animals that are small enough to be eaten! 

Wild Pigs and Plants

The bulk of a wild hog’s diet is plant matter. They consume plants year-round, and their plant consumption can make up anywhere from 50 to 100% of their diet, depending on the time of year and location. Wild hogs can eat a wide variety of wild plants, as well as different parts of them. Everything from the fruits, stems, leaves, bulbs, tubers, shoots, and roots is fair for wild hogs. They can and will eat just about anything they can find, whether the plants are native to the area or not. 

This has to lead to wild hogs becoming a significant problem for farmers and their crops. Because feral hogs can eat any type of plant, they are not picky eaters. They can also eat the plants at whatever stage of growth they are in, so no matter what time of year it is, the crops are not safe from the hungry jaws of the hogs. Commercial crops such as corn, wheat, oats, rice, hay, barley, and millet are favorites, and vegetables like yams, squash, potatoes, beets, lettuce, cabbage, turnips, peas, beans, and soybeans. 

Wild hogs are also known to hang around orchards to eat the fruit that falls from the trees, regardless of how rotten it might be. Everything from grapes, pumpkins, apples, oranges, berries, watermelons, and even coconuts are eaten by wild hogs whenever they get the chance. Aside from commercial and farm-raised plants, feral hogs will, of course, eat native plants as well. 

Some of the most preferred plant materials that wild hogs love to eat are acorns, hickory nuts, beechnuts, and chestnuts. Other things like roots, flowers, bulbs, and tubers are crucial to a hog’s natural diet. Plants, however, are not the only thing that wild hogs will eat when given a chance! 

Wild Pigs and Prey Animals

Wild pigs consume animals much less often than plants, but they will do it year-round when the right opportunities arise. Everything from insects, worms, frogs, lizards, fish, and crawfish are consumed, as well as snakes. Wild hogs will also eat the larvae and eggs of these animals as well, given a chance. This helps to supplement their diet and allows them to thrive in just about any environment, regardless of the food source they have to rely on. 

However, wild pigs are so prone to eat snakes that they are well known to hunt down and eat rattlesnakes. Rattlesnakes are highly venomous and will strike when provoked. This proves how tough wild hogs are, and they will actively look for these snakes in warmer climates to get a bigger meal. In many parts of Texas, scientists speculate that rattlesnakes have learned to stay quiet and not rattle their tails (their warning signal) for fear of being attacked and eaten by the abundant wild hogs that roam the area. 

Other prey animals for wild hogs include snails, quail, earthworms, rabbits, squirrels, and young deer, cattle, and sheep. Wild hogs have even been known to feed on carrion, which is the remains of animals that have previously died. Of course, it is essential to remember that wild hogs will usually only eat plant material and will only resort to meat on special occasions. While they can and do eat animals such as snakes, it is generally only in rare situations when they are short on other food sources and want to take the risk of a meal. 

Does a Wild Hog’s Diet Affect the Meat Taste?

We have all heard the famous saying, “you are what you eat.” This saying is also true for wild hogs. The meat of all wild animals tastes different depending on what they are typically eating, and the same holds for feral hogs. So depending on the area where you kill your wild hog and the dominant vegetation and food sources, the taste of the meat can vary. But because wild hogs do not predominantly eat other animals and meat, you do not have to worry about this tainting the taste of the meat. 

Final Thoughts

While wild hogs primarily feast on plants, they are omnivores, so they eat meat when given a chance. This means that smaller animals, especially snakes, are considered ideal prey for larger wild hogs that need an easy meal. Even venomous snakes are not safe, and feral hogs will go out of their way to eat them! So if you have ever wondered if wild hogs will eat a snake, now you know! 

Steven Lines is a hunter and outdoorsman from Safford, Arizona, USA. Since he was a child, he has been hunting and fishing and has over 20 years of outdoor experience. Steven works as a hunting guide in Arizona during his spare time and runs a Youtube channel dedicated to sharing his outdoor adventures with others.

Sources

• https://wildlife-damage-management.extension.org/food-habits-of-feral-hogs/
• https://www.wildpiginfo.msstate.edu/about/behavior.php
• https://feralhogs.extension.org/does-predation-by-feral-hogs-cause-rattelsnakes-to-stop-rattling/