Armadillo facts and information

What smells do armadillos hate?

The best deterrent is to make your yard smell. Armadillos hate the smell of ammonia, vinegar and mothballs [source: MSU]. Using any of these items regularly will ward off armadillos. Trapping For effective trapping, place more than one trap in various locations, especially near the armadillos' burrows.16 2011 .

Are armadillos good for anything?

Although armadillos are beneficial because they eat insects and other invertebrates, they sometimes become a nuisance by digging in lawns, golf courses, vegetable gardens and flower beds. Some damage has been caused by their burrowing under foundations, driveways and other structures.

What do armadillos eat?

In addition to bugs, armadillos eat small vertebrates, plants, and some fruit, as well as the occassional carrion meal. Nine-banded armadillos are known for often giving birth to four identical pups.

How do armadillos sleep?

Armadillos are primarily nocturnal and the way to catch one at night is to put a live mammal trap in front of an active burrow. Armadillos dig underground tunnels to sleep in. Arrange a pair of boards on edge to form a funnel leading from the burrow opening into the trap.7 . 2013 .

Do armadillos have teeth?

Armadillos lack canines and incisors; they have uniform continuously growing peg-like cheek teeth (premolars and molars) which lack enamel. ... Armadillos have numerous teeth: 14-18 per jaw. The jaws of species of Dasypus do not open wide and they catch their food with their tongues like anteaters do.

What animals are like an armadillo?

A Distant Lookalike. Unusually, the animal that looks most similar to the armadillo lives at the bottom of the sea and is more closely related to the crab and woodlouse than armadillo. But the giant isopod ( Bathynomus giganteus), with its ridged shell covering the top of the body, exposing only the ends of the limbs concealed beneath creates...

What makes an armadillo a mammal?

Armadillos are the only mammals with a protective armor formed by plates of dermal bone. This is the same type of bone that forms much of the skulls and jaws of vertebrates, as well as the shells of turtles and tortoises. The plates of bone are covered in small overlapping epidermal scales called scutes, which are composed of keratin.

How does an armadillo get its food?

Armadillos are diggers with sharp claws. They dig to make dens and to find food. Although they will eat vegetables and destroy your vegetable garden, their main source of food is worms and grubs.

What does the armadillo like to do?

Armadillos like to swim, and they are very good at it. They have a strong dog paddle, and can even go quite a distance underwater, walking along the bottom of streams and ponds. They can hold their breath for four to six minutes at a time. When they need to cross larger bodies of water, they swim across.