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Wildlife Viewing : Species Spotlight : Nine-banded Armadillo

Species Spotlight : Nine-banded Armadillo

If you wandered through Florida 10,000 years ago, you might be stunned at seeing an armadillo nearly the size of a Volkswagon. This giant armadillo eventually became extinct along with many other Ice-Age animals. It was only until the latter part of the 20th century that armadillos returned to Florida, albeit in a smaller cat-sized form. This is the nine-banded armadillo, named for the nine breaks in the creature’s leathery armor that allow it to flex its stiff hide. Because the nine-banded armadillo originated in western states and Mexico, it is considered an nonnative species and is not protected by Florida law. It is found in all 67 Florida counties.

Utilizing an acute sense of smell, armadillos hunt for worms, grubs and insect larvae they dig out of the ground. For this reason, homeowners often find holes left by these nocturnal creatures in their gardens and flowerbeds, especially during times of drought. This is because cultivated land is watered frequently, and so the insects and worms are not so deep, allowing the armadillo to smell and hunt them easier. One can sometimes distract armadillos from a favorite cultivated area by watering an area where the digging can be tolerated. Also, watering gardens in the morning is preferable since the soil can dry out in the afternoon and not be as easily detected by night-foraging armadillos.

Armadillos live in burrows and a single armadillo can have several different burrows with multiple entrances. A mature armadillo is 15 to 17 inches long (not counting the tail) with a weight of eight to 17 pounds. Pregnant females always give birth to identical quadruplets. She produces one egg that splits into four identical offspring that are either all female or all male. This trait differs from most other mammals.

Armadillos are fascinating in other respects. When they need to cross narrow water bodies, they often walk on the bottom under water. If it is a wide body of water, they will inflate their stomach to twice its normal size, allowing for enough buoyancy to swim across. When startled, armadillos often leap high into the air, and then run quickly to a nearby burrow.