Wood looks like an unappetizing meal to most creatures, and for good reason. It is built mainly from cellulose and lignin, two tough plant compounds that few digestive systems can break down. Yet a surprising number of animals that eat wood have found ways around this problem, using gut bacteria, grinding teeth, or sheer persistence to turn timber into a meal.
Some of these species, like termites and shipworms, rely on wood as their primary food source. Others, including camels, elephants, and horses, chew or strip bark for very different reasons ranging from survival in a harsh desert to boredom in a stable. This rundown covers 14 wood-eating animals and insects, what draws each one to timber, and why their habits matter to homeowners, sailors, and ecologists alike.
1. Termites
Termites are the best-known wood eaters on this list, and colonies of species like the eastern subterranean termite (Reticulitermes flavipes) can cause serious damage to homes across the United States. Termites primarily feed on cellulose, a component found in wood and many plant materials. They cannot break this material down alone, so they depend on microscopic partners living inside their gut.
According to Britannica, cellulose digestion in lower termite families depends upon symbiotic flagellate protozoa, which live anaerobically in the termite hindgut and secrete enzymes that break down cellulose into a simple sugar and acetic acid. Without these microbes, a termite would starve even while sitting inside a house-sized food supply.
The process generally works in stages:
- Worker termites chew and swallow small fragments of wood.
- Gut protozoa and bacteria ferment the cellulose in the hindgut.
- Fermentation produces glucose and acetic acid the termite can absorb.
- Nutrient-rich fluid is shared with other colony members through mutual feeding.
Termites prefer softwoods like pine and spruce along with decaying or moist wood, since these types are easier to consume, according to Terminix. That preference does not offer much protection, though: termite colonies can consume large quantities of wood quickly, with some capable of eating a pound of wood in just a few days. Readers curious about other insects with T names can check this list of animals that start with T.
2. Camels
Camels are not usually grouped with classic wood eaters, but the dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) regularly chews on thorny desert shrubs, dry twigs, and woody scrub that most grazing animals avoid. Tough, leathery lips and a hardened mouth lining let a camel work through spiny branches without injury.
A camel’s multi-chambered stomach ferments this fibrous plant material slowly, pulling out both nutrients and moisture that would otherwise go to waste in an arid landscape. That efficiency is part of why camels can travel long distances between water sources, relying on woody browse to fill the gap when green forage disappears. For more species with similar foraging habits, see this guide to animals that eat leaves.
3. Beavers
Beavers are famous for gnawing down entire trees, but they are not actually eating the solid wood at the center of the trunk. The North American beaver (Castor canadensis) targets the cambium, the thin, nutrient-rich layer just beneath the bark, along with leaves, twigs, and aquatic plants.
Felling trees serves two purposes at once: it supplies building material for dams and lodges, and it exposes the softer inner bark that beavers actually digest. Their front incisors grow continuously throughout life and stay sharp because the front surface is harder enamel than the back, so the teeth wear into a natural chisel edge with every bite.
4. Porcupines
The North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) turns to bark most heavily in winter, when fruits, buds, and other preferred foods are buried under snow. Climbing high into a tree, a porcupine strips away outer bark to reach the cambium layer, sometimes girdling an entire branch or trunk in the process.
Pro Tip: If porcupines are stripping bark from valued trees, wrapping the lower trunk in wire mesh or hardware cloth during fall and winter can prevent damage without harming the animal.
Unlike beavers, porcupines rely on their quills rather than speed to stay safe while feeding slowly in exposed treetops. Anyone interested in other quill-covered or spiny species can browse this list of animals that start with P.
5. Shipworms
Shipworms look like worms but are actually elongated marine clams, and the naval shipworm (Teredo navalis) has been sinking wooden vessels for thousands of years. Shipworms are common in most oceans and seas and are important because of the destruction they cause in wooden ship hulls, wharves, and other submerged wooden structures, according to Britannica.
A shipworm’s shell has shrunk down to a small rasping tool at the head end of its long, soft body. File-like ridges on the shell cut into the wood at a rate of about 8 to 12 rasping motions a minute, slowly grinding a burrow that the animal can never leave. History.com notes that once a shipworm bores mouth-first into a log, hull, or pier, one researcher describes it as being “locked into that piece of wood for their lifetimes.”
Important Note: Despite the nickname “termites of the sea,” shipworms are mollusks, not insects, and their wood-digesting bacteria live in their gills rather than their gut.
6. Wood-boring beetles (powderpost beetles)
Powderpost beetles, including species like Lyctus brunneus, earn their name from the fine, flour-like frass their larvae leave behind as they tunnel through seasoned hardwood furniture, flooring, and structural lumber. The larvae can feed inside wood for months or years before emerging as adults, often leaving a piece of furniture riddled with damage before anyone notices a problem.
Homeowners and buyers can watch for a few telltale signs of an active infestation:
- Fine, powder-like frass collecting beneath wood surfaces
- Small, round exit holes roughly the size of a pinhole
- Blistered or rippled patches on the wood surface
- Live beetles emerging near stored lumber or antique furniture
For a broader look at this group of pests, see this guide to types of insects that eat wood.
7. Deathwatch beetle
The deathwatch beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum) gets its ominous name from the tapping sound males make to attract mates, a noise that was once mistaken for an omen in old, quiet homes and churches. Its larvae favor partially decayed hardwood, especially old oak timbers found in historic buildings across Europe.
Because this beetle targets wood that fungi have already begun to soften, infestations often show up in roof beams, church rafters, and other structural timbers exposed to slow, long-term moisture. Damage can go unnoticed for decades before a beam finally weakens enough to cause visible sagging.
8. Common furniture beetle
The common furniture beetle (Anobium punctatum) is one of the most frequently reported wood-boring insects in homes with older timber framing or antique furniture. Its larvae tunnel through both softwoods and hardwoods, favoring wood with slightly higher moisture content than powderpost beetles typically require.
Adults leave small, round flight holes similar in size to powderpost beetle damage, which makes the two pests easy to confuse without a closer inspection of the frass texture and wood type involved. Furniture beetle larvae tend to produce slightly coarser, gritty frass compared to the fine powder left by true powderpost beetles.
9. Bark beetles
Bark beetles feed on the phloem, the nutrient-carrying layer just under the bark, rather than the solid wood itself. The mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) is one of the most destructive examples, boring through bark to lay eggs and often introducing blue-stain fungi that help kill the host tree.
Large outbreaks of bark beetles have reshaped forest landscapes across western North America, turning healthy pine stands into standing dead timber over the course of a few dry seasons. Unlike termites, bark beetles rarely threaten wood already cut and used in construction, since they need living or freshly dead trees to complete their life cycle.
10. Carpenter ants
Carpenter ants, including the black carpenter ant (Camponotus pennsylvanicus), get lumped in with wood-eating insects, but they are technically tunnelers rather than true wood eaters. Unlike termites, carpenter ants lack the gut microbes needed to digest cellulose, so colonies excavate smooth galleries in moist or decaying wood purely for nesting space while feeding on insects, honeydew, and sugary household scraps.
This distinction matters for pest control, since baiting strategies aimed at cellulose-digesting insects will not work on an ant colony feeding on other insects and prey instead. The table below compares how the wood-boring insects covered so far actually relate to the wood they damage.
| Insect | Actually Digests Wood? | Main Reason for Boring | Typical Warning Sign |
|---|---|---|---|
| Termites | Yes | Food (cellulose) | Mud tubes, hollow-sounding wood |
| Powderpost Beetles | Partially (larvae) | Food and development | Fine powdery frass, pinhole exits |
| Deathwatch Beetle | Partially (larvae) | Food in decayed hardwood | Tapping sounds, round exit holes |
| Common Furniture Beetle | Partially (larvae) | Food and shelter | Gritty frass, small flight holes |
| Bark Beetles | No (feeds on inner bark) | Reproduction, fungal transport | Blue-stained wood, dying canopy |
| Carpenter Ants | No | Nesting space only | Smooth tunnels, coarse wood shavings |
11. Panaque catfish (wood-eating catfish)
Panaque catfish, sometimes called wood-eating catfish, belong to the genus Panaque and include popular aquarium species like the royal panaque (Panaque nigrolineatus). Native to river systems in the Amazon and Orinoco basins, these armored catfish use spoon-shaped teeth to rasp away at waterlogged driftwood and submerged branches.
Researchers believe the fish gain some nutrition from the biofilm of algae, fungi, and microorganisms coating the wood, while gut bacteria may help process a portion of the wood fiber itself. Aquarium keepers who house panaque catfish typically add driftwood to the tank not just for decoration but to satisfy this natural gnawing behavior and support healthy digestion.
12. Elephants
The African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) uses its trunk and tusks to strip bark from trees and snap off woody branches, especially during the dry season when grasses become scarce. A single adult elephant can consume a substantial amount of woody browse in a day, chewing tough bark and twigs with massive, ridged molars built for grinding fibrous plant material.
Key Insight: Large-scale bark stripping and tree felling by elephant herds helps keep savanna landscapes open, preventing woodland from closing in and shaping habitat for many other grassland species.
Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) show similar bark-eating habits in forested habitats, though their diet leans more heavily on bamboo and other woody grasses depending on the region.
13. Gray squirrels
The eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) is primarily a nut and seed eater, but bark-gnawing shows up as a backup strategy when food caches run low, especially in late winter. Squirrels will strip bark to reach the sugary sap layer underneath or to gather material for nest lining.
This behavior rarely causes the kind of structural damage associated with insects or rodents like beavers, since gray squirrels focus on smaller branches and twigs rather than trunks or sold. Anyone tracking backyard wildlife conflicts might also want to review which animals prey on squirrels, since bark damage and predation pressure often show up in the same yards. More species sharing the same first letter appear in this list of animals that start with G.
14. Horses
The domestic horse (Equus caballus) is not naturally built to eat wood, and chewing on fence rails, stall boards, or tree bark usually signals a problem rather than a normal dietary choice. Horses digest fiber through hindgut fermentation in an enlarged cecum, a system that works well on grass and hay but struggles with the dense lignin found in wood.
Common Mistake: Assuming wood-chewing is harmless grazing behavior. It often points to boredom, insufficient forage, or a mineral deficiency, and persistent cases are worth discussing with a veterinarian or equine nutritionist.
Owners looking to reduce this behavior typically increase turnout time, add more forage, and check mineral balance rather than trying to block access to every wooden surface. For more on what a balanced diet looks like for these animals, see this guide to animals that eat hay, and browse other species sharing the same first letter in this list of animals that start with H.
From the microscopic gut partners powering a termite colony to the spoon-shaped teeth of a river catfish, wood-eating adaptations turn up in some unexpected corners of the animal kingdom. Some species depend on wood as their main food source, while others chew on it only when survival, boredom, or a mineral shortfall calls for it. Recognizing the difference matters just as much for protecting a wooden home as it does for understanding how these animals fit into their ecosystems.