They usually forage between dusk and dawn. They are attracted to carrion primarily to eat maggots.Īrmadillos are solitary mammals that are primarily nocturnal. Occasionally they eat bird eggs and baby mammals. Armadillos have even been known to dig up yellow-jacket nests!Additions to their diet include small amphibians and reptiles. They have been seen rolling about in anthills to dislodge and eat the ants. Their sensitive nose can detect food through eight inches of soil.They have sticky tongues that lap up their prey. Being avid diggers, the middle claw of the forefeet is elongated for digging.Īrmadillos are insectivores, and their main diet is ants, termites, grubs, beetles, and worms. A plate (or carapace) covers the throat and upper back.The armadillos have tiny mouths and small peg teeth that look similar to molars except without enamel.
ARMADILLO FLORIDA SKIN
The other surfaces have tough skin and coarse hair.
The “armor” covers the back, sides of the head, tail, and outer surfaces of the legs. The outer shell is boney dermal ridges covered by overlapping keratinized scales connected by flexible bands of skin. Their total length, including head, body, and tail, is 25 to 42 inches. The nine-banded armadillo, the only armadillo in the United States, is a medium-sized mammal. They prefer to borrow in areas with ample coverage, near water sources, and open land. They mark their territory with feces, urine, and excretions from scent glands that are found on their eyelids, nose, and feet. Typically, their burrows are 8 inches wide, 7 feet deep, and 25 feet long. They cannot thrive in particularly cold or dry environments. They are found in many habitats, from rain forests and grasslands to dry scrublands and barrier islands. They were also introduced to Florida by humans during the same time period.
They migrated to North America via the Isthmus of Panama, through Central America and Mexico, and crossed the Rio Grande River in the late 1800s. Its ancestors originated in South America. The nine-banded armadillo is the most underappreciated of the armadillos.
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