No more acorns! Hungry squirrel chows down on a LIZARD in stomach-churning images

A biologist has captured stomach-churning images of a squirrel tucking into a lizard that shatter the popular image of cute bushy-tailed creatures dining on acorns and seeds.  

Jeff Nordland, from San Diego, California, was on the hunt for photo opportunities in south-east Arizona when he came across a squirrel sitting at the side of a dirt track.

When he pulled out his camera to get a closer look, he realized that the animal was munching away on a lizard, rather than a mouthful of nuts.

Biologist Jeff Nordland was travelling through Arizona looking for wildlife photography opportunities when he came across a squirrel munching on a lizard

Jeff believes the hungry creature was a rock squirrel and its meal was a Clark’s spiny lizard. 

Jeff said: ‘It’s possible that the lizard had been killed by a passing vehicle and then the squirrel scavenged it off the road. 

‘Rock squirrels are known to scavenge dead animals from roads, including other squirrels. 

‘The thing is, the lizard body didn’t appear to have been totally crushed by a car tire and Clark’s spiny lizards primarily live in trees. 

Jeff pulled out his camera and filmed the squirrel enjoying its meal. As he zoomed in it was clear that internal organs and what appear to be eggs were dangling from the lizard

‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen one on a road but gravid lizards of many species do frequently use roads and roadside berms to bask and warm themselves to a higher than normal temperature, in order to mature their eggs sufficiently before laying. 

‘It’s also possible that the squirrel grabbed the lizard off of a tree trunk or rock, dispatched it with a bite to the head, then proceeded to devour it bite by chewy bite. 

‘I felt bad for the poor lizard, and I was a bit astonished.

‘Exactly how it all went down will remain a mystery.’     

Grey squirrels (pictured) are known to be opportunistic feeders, meaning they consume a varied diet based on the foods that are available to them. Like the rock squirrel, this also includes other animals such as bird chicks and young snakes

Rock squirrels mostly eat leaves, stems and seeds as well as  occasionally feasting on acorns, pine nuts and the fruits of native plants.

However, they are omnivores, so will also consume insects and the eggs of small nesting birds as well as larger animals such as lizards and snakes.

They have also been known to scavenging the remains of other squirrels. 

Other species of squirrel, including the grey squirrel commonly found in the UK, also include meat in their diets as they are opportunistic feeders, eating a varied diet based on what is available.

Grey squirrels will eat a range of plant matter, including buds, flowers and stems and will also strip the bark from trees in order to store seeds and nuts for later. 

They occasionally raid bird nests to consume eggs and small chicks and will even kill adult birds, insects, young snakes and even roadkill.

Rock squirrels are one of the largest member of the Scuridae family and can grow to measure a foot in length.

They are native to native to the Sonoran Desert, and from Southern Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, and south through Arizona, New Mexico and into Mexico.          

Squirrels are omnivores, meaning they consume other animals such as lizards and snaked as well as the more typically-expected nuts and berries

His photographs and video show the squirrel sitting perfectly still, holding the lizard in both paws with its internal organs and what appear to be eggs spilling out of the body.   

Jeff said this was the first time he had seen a squirrel eating another animal, despite visiting Arizona twice a year to take wildlife photographs. 

The footage was originally posted on Jeff’s Instagram account on July 22 but has recently been re-shared online. 

Responding to the video, one person commented: ‘No that’s a first for me. Awesome shot.’

Another described the video as something ‘from The Walking Dead’.