A fascinating animal to see in Florida and many areas of the South are armadillos. Armadillos can often go unnoticed because they are slow moving and low to the ground. With their brown skin, they blend in and stay safe under the ferns and bushes. Sometimes the best way to spot them is when you hear a rustling in the leaves, not the fast scurrying rustle from the brown anoles and squirrels. It's a slow steady rustle that the armadillo makes with his nose and paws as he digs through the leaves and dirt to find grubs. Once you hear them you follow the sound with your eyes and they usually are easy to find.
Sometimes I will go months without seeing a single armadillo, they are good at staying hidden and prefer woods over open spaces or public areas. One day as we were leaving our spot at the local park. I saw four little creatures digging in the dirt in the little patch of land in the middle of the parking lot. We pulled the car over and got out. The four little creatures were young armadillos, probably half the size of a typical adult. It is rare enough to see adult armadillos, so I never imagined I would see baby ones, and here in the middle of a parking lot of all places.
I watched the young armadillos forage. Their mother was nowhere in sight but I figured their burrow had to be nearby, probably in the bushes they were next to. You could see evidence all over the grass of where the armadillos had been digging. Little holes all over of disturbed ground. I had seen these holes before and had wondered if they were from armadillos. My assumption was correct. The armadillos didn't seem bothered by my presence, but that also may be because they have poor eyesight. They minded their own business with their pointed faces buried in the dirt. Most of the time their noses are submerged in soil, shoveling through the dirt for grubs and worms. Occasionally they use a paw with their efficient little claws to excavate tougher spots.
Apparently, it was no coincidence that I saw four babies. For many mammals, four babies in one litter is a lot, but it turns out that four identical babies are always how armadillos do it. The female always has one egg that splits into four and the babies are all either male or female. I never would have guessed I was seeing armadillo quadruplets.
After a while of watching them, the armadillos got startled. They ran as quickly as their little legs would go, into the safety of their bush, where their burrow was. A week later I saw the young armadillos again foraging in their grassy patch in the middle of the parking lot.
If you pay attention you will see all sorts of creatures you never expected to see like baby armadillo quadruplets digging for lunch and running to their burrow. It's amazing getting to see just a little bit of their lives, seeing them grow up and learn to find food.
