Saw a new critter!!!!

[bersaguy]

Well I have seen a lot of critters since I moved here last June but saw a first the other morning.  I let Darby out to do morning business and she started barking so I went out to see what it was. I knew what it was right away cause I have seen them many times. Just not around here. Darby was running around an Armadillo that had round up into a ball to protect itself from Darby. I made Darby come to me cause I didn't want the critter to decide all at once to stand it's ground instead of hiding in it's armor. Once in the house to watch it, it unrolled and ran off into the fence row and was gone. Tommy has lived here 17 years and said he saw 1 about 12 + years ago so evidently they are not common to this area...……

[gregintenn]

I've yet to see a live one, but the interstates are littered with them. I suppose they just fall out of the sky?

[DaveTN]

Been moving in for the last few years.

https://www.nashvillepublicradio.org/post/dirt-armadillos-middle-tennessee-s-newest-animal-neighbors#stream/0

 

 

[Alleycat72]

I see them all the time at night.

[Hozzie]

I was out checking game cameras a couple of weeks ago driving through one of my fields in the middle of the day and damn near ran over one in the high grass.  It started jumping like a hot bean.  Pretty funny to watch and more amazing is how high they can actually jump.

[WFM]

I've shot three in my yard just this year, and seen many dead ones on the road. They are terrible for digging holes in my yard looking for grubs.

[Dirtshooter]

They will tear up your yard like a bunch of hogs will. Shoot them at will. We had them in Mississippi, haven't seen any up here yet and that is good with me. We haven't seen any fire ants either and certainly don't want them at all!!!

[jpx2rk]

Fireants are fairly common in E TN, least in my neck of the woods.

[hipower]

I saw my first Tennessee Armadillo in 1998, on the daily run from Nashville to Columbia on 65 South. I believe it was past Saturn Pkwy towards Bear Creek Exit.

Yes, flattened on the road. I was told I was crazy. "There ain't no Armydillos in Tennessee!"

Took about a year or so before most of our route guys in middle and west Tn were seeing them.

Edited October 13, 2019 by hipower

[swiley383]

I haveSeen lots that have been run over and a couple walking around. Seems like the when I see one there a couple weeks that there are all over the road and then none for a while.

[krunchnik]

If you fellas want one you can come get the one that's potholing my yard-darned thing has holes all over the place-I would trap it but I can't find his den.

I saw him last week on my Ring cam just rounding the front of the house-in broad daylight no less.Of coarse we are in Lakeland where if you fire a weapon outside you can count on the black helicopters showing up.

[10-Ring]

9 hours ago, gregintenn said:

I've yet to see a live one, but the interstates are littered with them. I suppose they just fall out of the sky?

I'm convinced that truckers pick them up dead out west and drop them off here. 

[Chris]

There's a ton of the little suckers on my place. They have now displaced the squirrels as the noisiest critter in the forest. The population really seems to have stepped up in the last few years. Bout time for a dillo hunt.

[bersaguy]

Well my guess is that one I saw was passing thru because digging anywhere on this property in a challenge at best. Both of these houses were built on a rock formation. If you want to dig a hole bigger than a shovel itself you need a jackhammer to bust up the rock first. Tommy is planning on laying a new gravel driveway From the road back to my house but he said he will have to spend about a week or more with a jack hammer bust up rock in order to use a Bobcat to level it before the gravel can be put down. Getting in and out to my house is an adventure. Glad I have a vehicle with high ground clearance.