The most popular armadillo in south Florida is the nine-banded armadillo. Contrary to popular belief, the nine-banded armadillo can not roll itself into a ball to escape predators!! Armadillos are not blind, but they do have poor eyesight. Nine-banded armadillos always give birth to four identical young - the only mammal known to do so. All four young develop from the same egg - and they even share the same placenta.The diet consists primarily of animal matter, Like most insect eating mammals, armadillos have a very long, sticky tongue to slurp up bugs as quickly as possible. They also are equipped with strong claws to tear open ant nests. In areas with little insect prey but large amounts of berries or other plant material, the nine-banded armadillo will readily switch to a more vegetarian diet. The armadillos forage for insects, spiders, and small amphibians; they predominately seem to prefer beetles and ants. They have been known to kill and eat young cottontail rabbits, and are also known to eat scraps of carrion. Although the nine-banded armadillo is often accused of eating the eggs and young of ground nesting birds such as quail, birds and their eggs make up less than 0.4% of the diet of an average armadillo.
Nuisance Concerns: Because they are expert diggers they will cause damage to a lawn or a nicely landscaped area. They like to dig holes in undesirable places, like underneath a concrete driveway, the foundation of a house. These burrows can be as up to 25 feet long and as much as 7 feet deep. If they remove too much dirt from under a concrete foundation, the foundation faces the danger of cracking. Their burrows also attract other animals. If you see a large hole around your home with a lot of dirt thrown out, that's the work of an armadillo.