Quick Take
- The nine-banded armadillo is the only armadillo species currently found in North America.
- Armadillos are nocturnal foragers who feast on insects, larvae, and worms.
- Armadillo scat carries the risk of leprosy.
Nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) arrived in Texas from Mexico in the mid-19th century. Once restricted to the deep South, they are now established throughout the Southeastern United States, and their range has expanded as far north as Southern Illinois, Southern Indiana, and Southern Iowa, with occasional sightings in Southern Nebraska. Armadillos are nocturnal foragers that can destroy a garden or flowerbed in short order, using their sharp claws to dig numerous shallow holes between one and three inches deep and three to five inches wide in search of insects, earthworms, and grubs. This same behavior makes armadillos effective natural pest controllers, as they consume thousands of harmful insects daily, including grubs, fire ants, termites, and cockroaches. If you suspect an armadillo is damaging your garden, you’ll likely spot its small, cylindrical scat nearby.
Continue reading to discover everything you’ve ever wanted to know about armadillo poop.
What Does Armadillo Poop Look Like?
Armadillo scat typically consists of small, jagged, cylindrical pellets that measure about 1 inch in length. The droppings are dark brown to black and often contain visible, undigested insect parts and small amounts of soil or other garden debris.
Driven by warming winters and a lack of natural predators, the nine-banded armadillo is now found in at least 20 U.S. states.
©Heiko Kiera/Shutterstock.com
Armadillos generally drop pellets as they go, rather than leaving large, organized piles. Their scat is often found scattered near their digging sites, in flowerbeds, or at the entrance to their burrows.
Because they feed frequently on insects and invertebrates, armadillos do not have a set latrine area, resulting in scattered droppings across their foraging paths.
©Svetlana Foote/Shutterstock.com
What Does Armadillo Poop Smell Like?
Armadillo poop has an intensely pungent odor that lingers in the air near their burrows and foraging areas. The smell is often more noticeable than the scat itself.
Because armadillos often dig holes while foraging, they frequently defecate into these holes, effectively burying their droppings to help avoid detection by predators.
Is Armadillo Poop Harmful?
Armadillo scat can contain bacteria such as Salmonella and parasites, which may pose health risks. While armadillos can carry Mycobacterium leprae, the bacteria that cause leprosy, transmission to humans is primarily associated with direct contact with armadillo tissue or blood, not scat. The risk of contracting leprosy from armadillo scat is considered extremely low.
Does Armadillo Poop Make Good Fertilizer?
Armadillo scat is generally not recommended as fertilizer due to significant health risks, including the potential to carry pathogens such as Salmonella and parasites. The risk of leprosy transmission from armadillo scat is extremely low, but handling any wild animal waste carries potential health hazards.
