- Category: Armadillos
- Created: Wednesday, 07 December 2016 13:49
All armadillos are most entirely beneficial animals as they eat many unwanted insects, such as ants and other insects that can be harmful to you or your landscape. For example, spiders, scorpions and fire ants! The scarab beetle which is their favorite food, is responsible for heavy crop damage and armadillos actually help farmers in keeping healthy crops!
The Florida panther, F. concolor coryi, is an endangered animal of which the armadillo serves as an important food source.
On the flip side the Nine-banded Armadillo is a natural carrier of Hansen's Disease, otherwise known as leprosy, and have provided the only animal model useful for the study of leprosy (Mycobacterium leprae). Researchers use armadillos to trace the disease's progression and pathology, and to develop vaccines.
Conversely, in the state of Florida there is growing concern that the armadillo may be eating the eggs and taking over the nesting sites of the Loggerhead turtle eggs; however, for the most part there is very little that is truly detrimental to humans from the armadillo.