Have you ever spotted an armadillo in North Carolina? You're not alone, especially in recent years. More and more of these armored creatures are appearing in the Tar Heel State and here's what you need to know:
The nine-banded armadillo made its way to North America from Mexico in the late 1800s.
By 1995, it had successfully pushed into South Carolina and, within a couple of years, had spread all the way across the state. Its rapid movement quickly led the species into North Carolina.
By 2007, armadillos were seen in multiple counties in North Carolina. And by 2020, sightings were reported in 46 counties, as represented here in blue and green.
The population spread has been at a startling rate. So much so, that in 2009 there was a suggestion for North Carolina to have an open season on hunting the armadillo.
For the most part, the armadillo survives on insects. It thrusts its little snout with short, stubby teeth into the ground foraging for grubs, ants, termites, beetles, and worms. With its mouth and nose buried in the dirt, it can survive without breathing for up to six minutes. They sleep up to 16 hours a day and come out in the early morning and at dusk to feed.
One might think such a service of ridding the yard of unwanted insects would be a good thing to have around. But think again!
Armadillos are diggers! They burrow into the ground and create little places to sleep and hide all over the place. A single burrow has the potential to ruin the foundation of your house.
An armadillo burrow is typically eight inches wide, pushes to as much as seven feet deep, and can be as long as 25 feet! It has the potential to burrow right under your home. A single armadillo can destroy your yard.
One reason the armadillo population in North Carolina just keeps increasing each year is that armadillos reach sexual maturity at just one year.
Starting at just one year of age, armadillos begin to reproduce. And here's the odd part: each year fertilization takes place in July or August — and then the egg is withheld from implantation for three to four months so the offspring won't be born in the dead of winter. And then, the reproductive story of the armadillo gets even dicier...
Once that single egg is implanted, it splits into four identical embryos, which the mother carries for four months before giving birth. Armadillos always give birth to four offspring each year.
A year later, the newborn female armadillos reach sexual maturity and they, too, have four more armadillos. It's a cycle that has the potential to increase the population immensely each and every year.
And then there are the predators — or lack thereof.
The outer 'shell' of the armadillo, while it isn't technically a shell, is nearly as hard as the shell on a turtle's back. It takes the bite of a cougar, bear, wolf, alligator, or jaguar to penetrate the outer shell which is present on the armadillo's back, the outside of its legs, its head, and its tail. In essence, the population is also spreading because there are too few predators.
If there's one thing you remember from this short rundown on the nine-banded armadillo, it's don't get too close.
The nine-banded armadillo has very strong legs and, if startled, can jump as high as three or four feet! And for heaven's sake... don't ever touch an armadillo. These cute and curious little creatures can carry leprosy (Hansen's disease). Sure... there are great treatments nowadays for it, but do you really want to take that risk just to touch one? Nope.
Have you ever seen an armadillo in your path in North Carolina? Where was it? Let us know in the comments!
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