There is a big debate on which orange came first, the fruit or the color. Which one do you think came first? And also, are you wondering why your grandmother and her orange tree enthusiast friends always fuss about their oranges being stolen from the trees?
Today we will help you with that by discussing what animal eats oranges off trees. In that way, you can prevent that from keep happening. Don’t confuse Oranges (Fruit) with Osage Orange( Mulberry Family) It is unrelated to the orange despite the name “Osage orange.” It belongs to the Moraceae family of mulberries. The fruit is normally not consumed by humans and infrequently by foraging animals because of its sticky secretions and woody content.
Different trees from the citrus family grow all year round. And orange is one of the popular ones among both humans and other animals. Almost all the frugivores, animals that consume fruits as primary food, do eat oranges off the trees, and other than that some animals have it because of its refreshing taste.
Also, the aforementioned fruit is very rich in vitamin C, a great source of carbohydrates, and enriched with different minerals.
13 animals that eat oranges off trees
- Squirrel
- Birds
- Monkey
- Ape
- Black rats
- Raccoons
- Possums
- Squirrel Monkeys
- Tamarins
- Chipmunks
- Black bear
- Tarantula
- Wild Horse
Sometimes it isn’t easy to find out what animals are behind eating the oranges off the trees. Usually, farmers find that out based on when the oranges are being eaten during the day.
Squirrel
If the oranges go missing during the daytime squirrels are the primary suspects, and if they go missing at night, the blame usually goes to the black rats, also commonly known as roof rats.
Rats
Rats are the main reason behind hollowed-out oranges still hanging on the trees. Even though both these animals are small, their group is vastly expanded in almost all continents.
Birds
A huge list of birds is one of the biggest consumers of orange. They are usually attracted to the fruit because of its vibrant color. It’s a perfect snack for them as birds are flying a lot of the time and the fruit is very hydrating in nature even it doesn’t do much in case of the nutritional value requirements of the birds.
Bluebirds, thrashers, woodpeckers, waxwings, tanagers, finches, mockingbirds, catbirds, cardinals, cedar, etc are usually the ones that are to be mentioned. But the wild bird that loves oranges so much that is labeled as a pest for orange is Oriole.
They love their oranges and are usually the culprits of stealing them in the country areas. They start by making a hole in the fruit by hitting it several times with their sharp beaks and reaching Its endocarp which is a much softer part of the fruit and consumer that.
Racoons
Raccoons are opportunistic feeders with dexterous front and back feet which makes them great climbers. Their expertise in a climbing dumpster is a known scene to most. They usually consume the food like us, by peeling it. So, they are identified if orange peels are found near the tree.
Monkeys
Different monkeys mostly squirrel monkeys, apes, tamarin, chimpanzees live in even the woods and around trees which makes fruits one of their main sources of nutrition as they are omnivorous. So, during the orange season, they tend to savor the fruit as much as possible. This is a common view during summer in the southeastern rainforest of Asia.
Black Bears
Black bears also seem to be fond of oranges because of their medicinal quality which helps prevent scurvy disease in them other than its nutritional values and delicious taste.
Tarantulas
Tarantulas have a severe demand for minerals to keep them healthy. So, they surprisingly make the list of orange consumers because they can use all the extra minerals.
Possums
Possums are a common pest of citrus plants and they have a funny way of consuming orange. Sometimes they’ll eat the peel leaving the flesh, sometimes they’ll eat the flesh without Its peel and sometimes they eat the entire fruit. So even though rats are also its common pest It’s not very hard to decipher possum from rats.
Are Orchids Poisonous to Cats?
Deers, Cows & Horses
Even though wild deer and cows seem to like the type of animals who would like to have an orange straight out of the tree they typically cannot reach the fruit. Even the tallest of their species seem to enjoy an orange only when it falls off the tree. Horses in the wild are also found enjoying orange if they can reach it.
Conclusion
Orange seems to be the perfect fruit when it comes to excelling all the fruity expectations. It’s a seasonal delight. With its bright and vibrant orange color and refreshing smell and flavor, it seems to win everyone’s heart. Also having great nutritional value and all the important minerals it usually tops the chart of a common liking.
So, whenever the season comes everyone wants to savor whatever they can manage to get off it. Be it by farming it, buying it and taking it home, and enjoying it with their family or directly off the tree orange sure does make one crave it and enjoy it one way or the other.
Hi, I am Rahat Rubayet. I am an entrepreneur and A gardener by Hobby. I created This website to help people like you, who want to make the world greener and want to leave it as a better place for our next generation.