Gross Animals You Could Eat to Survive

Being stranded hundreds of miles from civilization can make you do unthinkable things. One of them is eating gross animals to stay alive. It might not sound like something you would normally do. However, when you haven’t eaten for a few days, eating worms, cockroaches, and snails as a food source becomes essential to your survival.

You might think that you will never get lost in the wild and hungry enough to consume anything. However, if you are a regular hiker or camper, you should never say never. So, the following list contains gross animals you could eat to survive in such a dire situation. And, if you are reading this article while being lost in the woods, all we can say is Bon Appétit!

1.    Worms

If one of the goods in your pantry develops worms, you throw it straight into the trash. There are no two ways about it. Still, when you are hungry and lost in the middle of nowhere, finding worms is similar to stumbling upon water in the desert.

Most earthworms are safe to eat. Furthermore, they are quite tasty if you fry them. On the other hand, they have a very low caloric value. So, you will have to eat a few pounds to feel full and restore your energy.

To catch worms in the wild, you should look in damp areas, under rocks, and rotten logs. Once you find them, make sure to wipe them clean from dirt and mucus. From there on, you can eat them raw or save them in a container until you can build a fire to cook them.

2.    Snails

You’ve probably eaten snails before, especially if you travelled to France. They love them there. However, the “escargots,” as they call them, are quite different from what you may find in the woods.

The slugs that you may locate in the wilderness are not the tastiest snacks, but they are rich in calories. One snail may provide as many as 90 calories for every 100 grams. You eat ten of them, and you consume the equivalent of 3 Big Macs. However, with this natural treat, you may want all the pickles you can get.

There are two rules of thumb when eating snails. One is that you never eat water snails. So, only munch on those that live on the ground and climb on trees. The second one says that you should always cook them. Some slugs eat mushrooms that would be toxic to us. Without cooking them, you risk ingesting those toxins and suffer an untimely demise.

Lastly, snails should be easier to find than worms. And, if you move slightly faster than they do, you have a good chance of catching yourself an entire slugfest quickly and easily.

3.    Cicadas

If you are lucky enough to become lost in the wilderness in summer, you can feast yourself on newly-hatched cicadas.

Cicadas are small bugs that mate once every 17 years. If you’ve been hungry for 5 days, imagine how they feel going horny for most of their lives and only reproducing once. Furthermore, their babies, also known as nymphs, take 5 years to hatch.

Cicadas also emit powerful sounds trying to attract mates or simply to complain about the summer heat. And, that’s when they attract some unwanted predators, including you, a city dweller who ventured too far off the beaten track.

As you have probably realized by now, cicadas are not the smartest of bugs. Also, they are quite slow. So, you can easily catch them on tree branches before they make their escape.

You can cook cicadas by boiling them. This way, you will eliminate any parasites that they might carry. Remove their legs and wings before eating. Those who have eaten them say that cicadas taste like shrimps with an aftertaste of peanut butter. See? Now they don’t sound that gross anymore!

4.    Ants

These tiny little crawlers are fun to watch in the park. They all work together as part of an oligarchic system and carry every bit of bread and plant material that pigeons miss back to their anthill. However, when you find them in the wild, they turn from a harmless attraction into your next meal.

You can eat ants by frying or boiling them. Also, you can eat them raw if you are starving and don’t mind having a handful of critters swarming in your mouth.

The good part about ants is that they provide an energy boost. Also, they supply you with calcium and iron. On the other hand, they are tasteless, and difficult to catch many of them at one time. So, it will feel like eating raw rice one grain at a time.

5.    Bee Larvae

We know what you’re thinking. If you find a honey bee nest, why eat the larvae and not the honey?

Well, that’s because you may be lost in the wild and hungry in the middle of winter. And, that’s when bees do not make honey. Instead, at the same time, the bee queen lays her eggs. So, you have a good chance of finding some tasty larvae in the nest.

In the colds season, the bees hibernate. At this time, the queen’s eggs are slowly growing and developing nutrients like iron, niacin, and vitamin B2. And, you can acquire them with a sneak attack on the bee nest.

The sleepy bees should not sting you too much if you move quickly. All you need to do is get a handful of larvae and be on your way before you die of anaphylactic shock. Munch on the larvae and get as many as 250 calories for every 100 grams you eat.

Are you grossed out yet? If so, you should know that beggars can’t be choosers.

If you are stranded and haven’t eaten in a week, these gross animals should be at the top of your menu. Remember, you have much more to lose if you don’t eat them. So, if you ever find yourself in such a dire situation, put on your bib, and snack on whatever nature throws your way to help you survive.