Armored aliens

Like the steady stream of humans pouring into the Lowcountry, a constant flow of invasive animal species are marching onto Daniel Island. Last year I encountered two wild hogs which had been killed by a car on St. Thomas Island Drive. They are coming soon to a garden or flower bed near you and will join coyotes as common neighborhood visitors. 

 

A couple of weeks ago, our publisher, Sue Detar, and her husband, Tom, encountered an armadillo here on the island. This was inevitable, as the nine-banded armadillo has now been confirmed to live in all 46 South Carolina counties. I wish I could be more excited about that.

 

All of God’s creatures have a place in our world, but many of them don’t seem content to stay there. The armadillo’s migration from Mexico and the Southwest has been going on for decades.  Until Sue’s sighting, though, Chris Hamill of the Daniel Island POA’s Field Operations office had not seen one armadillo or ever received a report of one on the island. My dad has been noting their presence on Johns Island for years, though, and our day has apparently come.

 

Armadillo means “little armored one” in Spanish. A quick glance at the protective “shell” they wear explains that title. They have a couple of other interesting quirks worth noting.  

 

Nine-banded armadillos almost always have nearly identical quadruplets. They are one of about 20 kinds of armadillos in the Americas – my favorite being the screaming hairy armadillo – but they are the only ones found here.  

 

Slightly less charming is the fact that nine-banded armadillos are one of a very small number of animals that can carry and transmit leprosy. Before an uproar ensues, about 95% of humans are naturally immune to leprosy to begin with. Additionally, contracting this disease would require very close contact like handling an infected armadillo or interacting significantly with surroundings heavily contaminated by them. Modern medical treatments are also highly effective, so this sickness is not something to lose sleep over.

 

It is interesting to see how Mother Nature balances things out on her own sometimes. Can you guess what armadillos eat? Fire ants, another invasive nuisance. While they have poor vision, armadillos have keen senses of smell, huge front claws and long, sticky tongues for extracting ants and termites from their tunnels. They will also eat other insects, grubs and worms and ground nesting birds and eggs.  

 

Their burrowing and the destruction of lawns is the primary complaint to the SCDNR. Here is another twist. According to South Carolina Public Radio naturalist Rudy Mancke, coyotes and wild hogs will both eat armadillos, perhaps bringing us into some sort of crazy equilibrium. 

 

If you notice approximately seven-inch burrows in your yard, or you see an armadillo, you will know you have them. There are very few removal options. Could the dreaded coyote or the hated feral hog be your new best friend? Maybe for a while.