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HERNANDO CHAPTER |
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HERNANDO CHAPTER |
| ANIMAL PROFILE Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) by Brendan Armitage |
| So you say your front yard looks like it went through foxhole training
at Fort Dix? You may very well be harboring armadillos. Now we gardeners don't like
anything rearranging our carefully constructed gardens and yard, but before you go
get your Glock 9mm, let's learn a bit more about these guys... At 12-18 inches long, and 5-15 pounds, you won't have a lot to shoot at anyway. They're not after your lettuce, tomatoes, or roses. Like many of us bachelors, they eat mostly worms and insects at or below ground level, which they find by smell (their hearing and eyesight being poor). Instead of watching "Must see TV on NBC", they feed at night, which explains their poor eyesight and why we rarely see them. What you will see are the silver-dollar sized holes they dig in your yard. By the way, their North American ancestor was as as large as a rhinoceros. Just imagine the holes your lawn would have had then, huh? The armadillo may not be that big, but it is covered by horny scales (except on it's belly and ears), which provide some protection. Against larger predators, like us, it does run and swim well. One of the reasons everyone's yard is eventually an armadillo target is that they do (ahem) breed. Each female gives birth to identically sexed quadruplets every year. Breeding takes place in July, with youngsters one through four arriving in February or March. You'll find armadillos living in underground dens in dense shade, perhaps to remain cool inside that suit of armor. The main den may be 15 feet long, with other smaller dens dug as hiding spots throughout its 2-10 acre territory. Concrete slabs under houses and patios are like the Ritz to armadillos, so look there first when searching for their burrows. To protect single plants against armadillo excavation, fencing 12 inches above ground and 12 inches below ground will do the job. You will certainly get their attention and offend them by filling any holes you see with dirt and mothballs. This may send them to your neighbor's yard. Various wacky methods of trapping may also work, as will that Glock 9mm you've got under your pillow, but save that for your next life, when you come back as a Special Forces paratrooper. Poison is illegal, as is using a light to aim by if frustration gets the better of you. Limburger cheese does not work. I've tried. So now you know a bit more about armadillos. They do eat insects, and you'll probably feel better about yourself if you don't kill them. |
| References: Schaefer, J. 1994 IFAS fact sheet: Control of Armadillos, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Gainesville, Florida, USA |
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