12 Animals That Can Hunt and Eat Skunks (But Rarely Do)

Skunks are small, solitary creatures. They weigh between six and ten pounds and have two to four years of lifespans. Their diet is primarily berries, insects, frogs, and bird eggs. Many people call them rodents, but they are not rodents. Skunks are animals belonging to the weasel family.

The ability to spray a pungent oil that is strong enough to be smelled up to 1.5 miles away is their main defense system. When they are frightened or threatened they hiss, stamp their feet, and point their lifted tails toward the threat. If their warning does not make the threat go away they can spray a stream of their foul mixture as far as ten feet away.

1. Alligators Eat Skunks

Louisiana and other southern states are home to alligators and skunks. Alligators do not hunt skunks, but they will not resist the opportunity to eat one if they catch a skunk near the water’s edge. Alligators wait for the chance to grab their food. The skunk’s awful odor does not offend a gator’s factory glands.

When a small animal like a skunk comes to the edge of the water to get a drink, the gator will stealthily glide close enough that they can lunge out of the water and grab the animal in its powerful jaws. Once the gator has the prey in their jaws, they back deeper into the water and begin to roll. The prey will drown if not killed when it is first bitten.

2. Badgers

Small animals like badgers are often not thought of as predatory creatures. They are fierce and can easily kill an animal the size of a skunk. Small mammals, reptiles, birds, and even carrion are all food choices for these voracious predators.

Badgers have long claws that enable them to be effective at digging. When hunting prey that seeks the safety of an underground burrow, the badger will dig into the burrow and capture the prey. Skunks are not their first choice of dinner foods, but they are not picky eaters when a badger is hungry.

3. Bears

Bears are omnivores. That means they eat meat and plants. Small mammals like skunks are choice morsels for bear dinners. The smell of the skunk will prevent them from being the first choice for a bear, but the pungent odor can be ignored when a bear gets hungry.

4. Bobcats

Bobcats eat a variety of small mammals, rodents, insects, fish, and insects. These cats are small but have many behaviors associated with other big cats. They are stealthy hunters; when hungry, they hunt and eat skunks and even domestic cats and dogs.

These cats travel between 2 and 7 miles (3 to 8 kilometers) when hunting. They can reach speeds of up to 30 mph (48 kph).

5. Coyotes

Coyotes are good hunters who are typically seen close to dusk and dawn. This canine species hunts primarily at night but will hunt in the daytime if needed. They normally weigh between 20 and 45 pounds as adults, and small mammals are their primary food source. Skunks are not frequently hunted by coyotes because of the skunk defense system, but a hungry coyote will kill and eat a skunk if they get the chance to do so.

6. Dogs

Most people do not think of dogs as predators because most of the dogs people encounter are domesticated animals. Dogs are canines, along with wolves and coyotes. The instinct to hunt and eat prey like small mammals is a part of the dog. Most domestic dogs hunt for fun, but some will kill other animals if they catch them.

7. Foxes

Foxes are great hunters. They are quick, quiet, and stealthy. Small mammals like rabbits and skunks are easy prey for these. Foxes, like wolves, coyotes, and dogs, are canine family members. They have the same natural hunting instincts as other canines. Their diet consists of meat and plants; a skunk would fill a hungry fox’s belly in a pinch.

8. Mountain Lions

Mountain lions, cougars, and panthers are different names for the same cat species. In hilly regions, they are called mountain lions; in southern regions, they are called cougars. They are stealthy hunters who eat small mammals and can take down larger animals like whitetail deer. The skunk would be a meal of convenience rather than a sought-after dinner entree. When hunting, a mountain lion can reach up to 50 mph.

9. Pythons

Florida is not the natural habitat for the Burmese python; however, in the last 15 years, these giant snakes have started to make themselves at home in the state, and they are changing the Florida ecosystem with their presence. Since the pythons have established residence in Florida, small mammals like raccoons, rabbits, and skunks have seen the population decrease by as much as 99.8 percent.

Pythons are expert hunters because they have keen senses of smell. Raccoons and rabbits are the first choices of meals, but with the populations of those animals dropping so quickly, skunks are becoming more favorable to these snakes.

10. Wolves

Wolves are the most feared canines because they are larger than foxes, coyotes, and dogs. Wolves hunt for their food. They hunt large and small animals; when they are hungry, they will even eat insects and carrion.

Skunks are not completely protected from wolf attacks. In rural areas, wolves attack and kill domesticated animals, including dogs, cats, horses, and cattle.

11. Great Horned Owls Eat Skunks

Any large owl will hunt and eat a skunk. The Great Horned Owl is the largest of the owl species, and they can capture the largest animals for dinner. Owls cannot smell very well, so the skunk’s defense system has little effect on them. The white stripe against the dark background of the skunk makes them prime targets because they are easier to see.

Owls primarily hunt at night but can hunt in the daytime if needed. These birds of prey are fast and can see their prey from long distances, so they often swoop in and capture an animal before the animal knows the owl is near them.

12. Vultures Eat Roadkill Skunks

One of the most opportunistic eaters in the United States is the vulture. Vultures do not hunt living prey like skunks, but when another animal, or a car, kills a skunk, a vulture will be happy to clean the carcass. Vultures keep carrion from littering highways and fields because they can smell the dead animal over a mile away.

Summary of Animals That Can Hunt and Eat Skunks