Although it is not common, in recent years videos of wildlife species such as wild boars feeding on carrion have become widespread. It is easy to see the suid eating roots, insects that it finds by scavenging or even eggs, but not a carcass. However, it is, after all, an omnivorous animal. Rarer would be to observe a deer doing the same, as the following footage shows.
Although deer are known to be herbivorous animals, it is not so well known that they may occasionally ingest insects, small birds and even small mammals. The following case specifically shows how a doe eats a snake.
It should be noted that deer’s digestive system is not fully adapted to the processing of meat-based proteins, but they can occasionally ingest them as they possess certain intestinal bacteria to digest this food.
Deer eating Snake 🐍 🦌 pic.twitter.com/GEqrcF0B7v
— Levandov (@blabla112345) June 11, 2023
This video proves that deer will eat meat if given the opportunity. And even human flesh. It was scientifically proven in a study published five years ago in the Journal of Forensic Sciences: researchers left a human corpse in a forest to study how scavengers feed on our remains. In front of the body they installed a camera, with which they hoped to record foxes, vultures, raccoons and coyotes… but a deer also appeared.
They may also eat small live birds or mammals
It should be noted that deer can not only feed on the carcasses they can find in their path, but there have been recorded sightings of deer consuming healthy and live birds. Therefore, it is possible that even the snake in the video was killed by the deer itself before ingesting it, although the latter is not visible in the images.
However, deer are not made for hunting, mainly because they lack sufficient jaw strength and their teeth are made for consuming vegetables. Moreover, their hunting instinct is completely absent. If a deer punctually feeds on another animal, it will usually be carrion.
