Armadillos are mammals with no close relatives and a fossil record that dates back millions of years. All are well-protected above by stout plates and scale-like structures but with narrow bands on the back that allow them to quickly curl up to protect their underside. They have many peg-like teeth that are continuously growing, and no teeth at the front of the mouth. Thus you don’t need to worry about being bitten. An armadillo’s legs are very strong and they are master diggers -- especially in sandy soils. They dig to find food and also to make shallow burrows where they shelter during hot days. They are somewhat gregarious and active mostly at night. Yes, they may dig holes in your yard, but the holes tend to be shallow and a cheap price to pay for an evening of watching them greatly reduce harmful insect populations -- and then they are likely to move on.
The grassy rights-of-way of our interstate highway system are attractive to Nine-banded Armadillos and their linear nature has facilitated the expansion of their geographic range while at the same time created a serious hazard for them. An armadillo tends to ignore traffic, and drivers often try to avoid hitting an armadillo by straddling it. Unfortunately, in the long evolution of armadillos they learned that the best defense against a predator is to jump up with great force. They have much to learn about cars, but this defensive behavior tends to be deadly. In late April and May males are searching for mates – and we tend to begin seeing dead armadillos along our highways. Watch out for them – especially at night – and try to not straddle them!