What critter in Walnut Creek is swallowing acorns and leaving evidence?

DEAR JOAN: We live in an area with a good variety of wild animals. Lately, I have found instances of scat containing several whole acorns. What animal would eat whole acorns and not be able to digest them?

— Tom, Walnut Creek

DEAR TOM: The thing about acorns is they aren’t intended to be digested whole, so any animal that eats them that way is going to expel them that way.

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Some seeds, which are what acorns are, need animals to pass them through their digestive tract. The journey helps to break down the outer protective covering and make it easier for the seeds to germinate.

Acorns, however, don’t require that, relying on the animals for a different reason. The acorns are meant to be cached and buried, providing a moist environment that allows them to germinate, and of