South-Carolina
Armadillos On The Rise In South Carolina – FITSNews
Armadillos – a species native to South America – have invaded various parts of the United States over the last few decades, and are now starting to become a predominant species in South Carolina.
Typically seen in southern states like Texas and Florida, armadillos have now made their way into all 46 counties in the Palmetto State – and into North Carolina and Tennessee. This comes after the animal – whose name translates to “little armored one” in Spanish – first began to appear in the South Carolina Lowcountry more than four decades ago.
Driving the expansion of the species? A lack of natural predators (well, aside from Palmetto State drivers).
The most notable type of armadillo – the nine-banded armadillo (or Dasypus novemcinctus) – has been spotted throughout South Carolina, and is easily identifiable by its distinctive plated armor, which is so thick and tough it is difficult for even an alligator to penetrate.
Armadillos are not a threat to humans or pets as more than 90 percent of their diet consists of insects. Also, they rarely grow larger than a typical housecat. Nocturnal hunters, armadillos also feed on earthworms, scorpions, spiders, termites and other invertebrates – including maggots and pupae. According to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), they also eat fruits and vegetables – such as berries and roots – and lizards, small frogs, snakes, and the eggs of upland birds.
While armadillos are not a threat to humans, approaching them is ill-advised as they can be infected with mycobacterium leprae – which is the causative agent of leprosy. Furthermore, SCDNR notes that armadillos can also carry trypanosoma cruzi – the parasite responsible for Chagas disease – which is spread between insects.
As a result, citizens are advised to “avoid touching armadillos with bare hands, and avoid contact with their blood and fluids” – although the link between armadillos and leprosy has been overstated, per survivalists.
The animal’s meat is fit for human consumption, and has a high caloric content.
Just be sure to cook it well-done…
According to the late naturalist Rudy Mancke, armadillos have the unique trait of reproducing by giving birth to identical quadruplets – or four offspring which split from the same embryo. Armadillos also begin reproducing at an early age – just one year old.
“Females produce one litter per year during March or April after 150 days of gestation,” SCDNR noted.
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The biggest issue with armadillos in South Carolina, though, is the damage they cause to lawns when scouting for food. While armadillos hunt at night, during the day they burrow underground for refuge – creating tunnels that are between seven and eight inches in diameter and up to eight feet deep and 25 feet long.
“Obviously, we get a lot of complaints at DNR about them rooting up the lawns,” SCDNR’s Jay Butfiloski told S.C. Public Radio recently. “Those usually show up in the late afternoon. They’ve got really strong claws and they can burrow pretty quickly. It’s a lot of lawn damage, and from a farmer’s standpoint, burrowing activity with holes could be a potential danger for livestock, or even equipment if it falls in, into any places where they’re dug out.”
SCDNR recommends building fences or barriers that are twelve to eighteen inches deep (deeper for sandy soil) that extend to at least three feet high to avoid any lawn damage. If an armadillo is spotted in your yard, avoid contact with the animal and notify SCDNR.
“There is no closed season on armadillos with a valid hunting license on private lands,” SCDNR noted. “Armadillos that cause damage may be shot where it is legal to discharge a firearm.”
SCDNR also permits night hunting of armadillos from the last day of February to July 1 as long as the agency is notified.
So how many armadillos are there in the Palmetto State? No one seems to have a good estimate, but the animal is clearly here to stay…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from J. L. Mann High School in 2021. She is currently a rising senior at the University of South Carolina majoring in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.
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Saturday night was a wild one at Kroger Field, but despite the delays, the Kentucky Wildcats won 31-0 over Southern Miss.
The offense looked solid in Bush Hamdan’s first game as the UK offensive coordinator, but the Cats will now face a step-up in talent as they prepare for a matchup with South Carolina on Saturday afternoon.
One of the big questions heading into Saturday’s game is the availability of Ohio State transfer running back Chip Trayanum. According to Mark Stoops, the running back will miss the game against the Gamecocks. He announced the news Monday night on his call-in radio show.
Trayanum is still recovering from a broken hand he suffered in fall camp.
Against Southern Miss, the Cats featured a handful of running backs, including Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, Jason Patterson, and Jamarion Wilcox.
The Cats totaled 148 yards on 24 rushes against the Golden Eagles while also adding a touchdown on the ground from Sumo-Karngbaye.
The Gamecocks will come to Lexington looking to make a statement after a poor performance against Old Dominion in Columbia this past Saturday. However, their run defense was pretty stout, as they only gave up 3.2 yards per attempt on the ground.
Alongside the group of running backs, the BBN can expect to see plenty of designed QB runs again as the Kentucky OC looks to feature Brock Vandagriff’s running skills.
Should be an interesting matchup this Saturday at Kroger Field.
The South Carolina Gamecocks have enjoyed success against the Kentucky Wildcats during Shane Beamers tenure. Coach Beamer and the Gamecocks are 2-1 against Mark Stoops’ Wildcats with one of those wins being on the road in Lexington. Coach Stoops met with the media on Monday to discuss his team’s SEC opener vs South Carolina this Saturday.
Apart from South Carolina’s recent success under Beamer, the Wildcats of Kentucky have been the better of the two programs when the teams matchup going 3-7 in the last 10 games, though they have been competitive for the most part. Mark Stoops talks about his experience in this game.
“South Carolina’s a team that we always seem to have good games with,” Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said about Saturday’s game against the Gamecocks. “Through my many years here, always a very good game, always evenly matched. We’re looking forward to that challenge.”
Both Kentucky and South Carolina are entering similar transitional years on offense. Both Georgia transfer Brock Vandagriff and LaNorris Sellers may their first career start and both offenses have a lot to improve on heading into week two.
“He’s a dual threat guy. He’s big. He’s strong. He can throw the heck out of the ball down the field. You see the arm talent. A very good football player that’s going to get better with every snap he takes. Every game, every rep, he’ll improve,” Coach Stoops on South Carolina’s young QB.
South Carolina edge rushers were responsible for six tackles for loss (TFLs), four forced fumbles (FF), and four sacks. All four sacks came from veteran Kyle Kennard and star freshman Dylan Stewart. Stoops talked about the effect those two edge rushers have on the game.
“They have a really good combination with 5 (Dylan Stewart) and 6 (Kyle Kennard). You can see them both out there, can’t miss them. One’s a very mature older player that’s an impact player in Kennard. With Dylan Stewart, five star freshman, big time player, very disruptive. Those guys are just very good players,” Coach Stoops on the impact of the Gamecocks pass rush duo.
The Gamecocks and Wildcats are the first SEC game of the year and if recent matchups are a sign of things to come, this will be another good one to watch Saturday afternoon.
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The Kentucky Wildcats got off to a weird start to the season as they took down Southern Miss in week one 31-0 but barely played five minutes of the second half due to the weather. Aside from the weirdness of this football game, the Wildcats got the win and are now preparing for a much tougher test against South Carolina.
The Gamecocks played a close game with Old Dominion in week one, only winning this game 23-19. They ran the football 56 times and only threw it 23 so they will be looking to move the ball on the ground.
Despite playing close with ODU, this South Carolina team can be dangerous if they have a good offensive day, so the Kentucky Wildcats need to be ready.
The line for this game currently sits at -10 for the Kentucky Wildcats at home. Some might think this is a big line, but knowing how good Kentucky’s defense is, especially against the run, it will be hard for South Carolina to score a lot of points.
If Kentucky’s receivers are able to continue getting open and Brock Vandagriff gets them the football, the Wildcats are going to cover this line.
If South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers is able to run around and pick up first downs with his legs that could lead to this game being close. Kentucky could make a massive statement if they cover against South Carolina, knowing the Georgia Bulldogs will be in town the following week. Big Blue Nation will learn a lot more about this football team against South Carolina.
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