At first glance, it looks like one of those videos people immediately dismiss as fake.
A squirrel is sitting on a tree branch, but instead of holding an acorn or a nut, it has a small lizard in its paws. Moments later, it begins eating it. Within hours, the clip fills with comments from people insisting that squirrels don’t eat meat and that the video must have been staged.
The surprising part is that the footage is entirely believable.
Although squirrels are famous for collecting nuts and seeds, that’s only part of the story. In the wild, they are far more adaptable than most people realize.
They’re Not Strict Vegetarians
Most squirrel species rely on foods such as acorns, walnuts, seeds, berries, mushrooms and tree buds. Those foods make up the vast majority of their diet throughout the year.
However, wildlife biologists classify squirrels as opportunistic omnivores. That means they won’t ignore an easy source of protein simply because it isn’t plant-based.
Over the years, researchers and wildlife photographers have documented squirrels feeding on insects, caterpillars, bird eggs, nestlings and even small reptiles. On rare occasions, they have also been observed eating tiny frogs.
While these foods make up only a small fraction of their diet, they are not unusual from a biological perspective.
Why Would a Squirrel Eat a Lizard?
The answer comes down to survival.
Wild animals take advantage of whatever food is available, especially when it provides valuable nutrients. Protein and fat become particularly important during periods when natural plant foods are scarce or when females are raising their young.
A slow-moving lizard can simply become an easy meal.
This doesn’t mean squirrels actively hunt reptiles every day. Instead, they take advantage of an opportunity when one presents itself, much like many other omnivorous mammals do.
Viral Videos Can Change the Way We See Wildlife
One reason videos like this spread so quickly is that they challenge our expectations.
We’ve grown up thinking of squirrels as harmless little animals that spend their days gathering nuts for winter. Seeing one eating another animal feels completely out of character, even though scientists have known for decades that squirrels have a much more flexible diet than most people assume.
The internet often introduces people to behaviors that have existed in nature all along but simply weren’t captured on camera very often.
Nature Doesn’t Always Fit Our Expectations
People tend to place animals into simple categories: herbivores, carnivores or omnivores. In reality, survival is rarely that straightforward.
For a squirrel, a lizard isn’t a preferred meal. It’s simply one more food source that can provide energy when the opportunity arises.
So if you’ve come across a video showing a squirrel eating a lizard, you probably weren’t watching something extraordinary or staged. You were seeing a side of wildlife that most of us rarely get the chance to witness—a reminder that nature is often far more surprising than the stories we tell about it.