Baby Armadillos in Our Backyard
Like 3 Dislike 0 Published on 23 Jul 2015
After being absent for four years, a baby armadillos have returned to our backyard. They are using the same den as they did in June 2011. Awesome.
The Nine-Banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is the Texas State small mammal. It is an unusual mammal, closely related to sloths and anteaters. Its body is covered with a bony shell that acts like armor, protecting it from predators.
Armadillos are designed for digging and do so constantly. They dig for food, mostly ants, termites, grubs and other small invertebrates. Their sensitive noses can detect insects through 8 inches of soil. They lap up the insects with their sticky tongues. Although armadillos are sometimes considered pests, because they "mess-up" gardens -- uprooting bedding plants, they actually are beneficial to the environment. They frequently consume insects that cause the most damage to crops and lawns. They are one of the few animals that consume fire ants as part of their diet.
Adult armadillos are about the size of a large house cat. Females give birth to identical quadruplets in the spring. After birth, the quadruplets remain in the burrow, living off their mother's milk for three months. They then begin to forage above ground. The armadillos shown in this video started foraging above ground a few weeks ago. Three juveniles are in my yard. Juveniles usually forage with their mothers, but she has "gone missing."
Armadillos have poor eyesight and can easily be startled. This one retreated to the safety of its den, when I accidentally frightened it. If armadillos can't dig under it, they will climb over it. They can scale large boulders and fences.
Armadillos have a particularly interesting method of crossing water. When facing a small stream, they simply walk across the bottom. However, when facing a larger body of water, armadillos will swallow air, inflating their intestines, become buoyant, and simply swim across.
Adult armadillos are solitary animals. These juveniles will disperse to occupy separate territories during the next few months. For now, however, they are "best friends," warning each other when danger is near.
I made an armadillo feeder so we could watch them from the house. They were attracted to the damp potting soil, grubs and earthworms. They stopped disturbing nearby bedding plants after this feeder was installed.
Similar to human beings, armadillos can carry leprosy. Scientists believe that people transmitted the disease to armadillos about 400 to 500 years ago. Transmission of leprosy from armadillos to human beings is rare. It requires close contact with the animals and their saliva. The best advice is to avoid unnecessary contact. In Texas, two cases of leprosy have been documented from eating raw or under-cooked armadillo.
For additional information see:
The University of Georgia CAES Publication Natural History Series: http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.cfm?number=C866-2
Texas Parks and Wildlife, Nine-Banded Armadillo http://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/dillo/
How Armadillos Can Spread Leprosy http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-armadillos-can-spread-leprosy-180954440/
Don’t Undercook the Armadillo http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/05/leapin-lizards-dillos-carry-leprosy/#.Va2l8XgtoVs
Videography by Ken Kramm 6/2011 and 6/2015; Canon Vixia HF S20, Canon Vixi HF G10, iPhone 6+; Final Cut Pro X. “Thin” Kevin MacLeod, Public Domain, http://freepd.com/Reggae/Thin