Martin I. Nelson

We implanted radio transmitters in 11 armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) on Cumberland Island, Georgia, and monitored them seasonally from July 1987 through May 1988. Six individuals survived (S) the entire study: 5 died (D) between 1-4 months post-implantatin. Home range sizes for S individuals did not differ significantly between sexes (N=6; 3 males and 3 females). Mean overall home range size was significantly smaller for S compared to D armadillos for both the minimum convex polygon (MCP) (S=6.55 ha, D = 11.55 ha; F = 12.49, df=1, P <0.002) and adaptive kernel (AK) (S=9.47 ha, D = 18...

In the 1970s, the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) invaded Cumberland Island, Georgia, which includes a federally designated wilderness area where native flora and fauna are protected by the National Park Service. Because of concerns about the potential ecological effects of this exotic mammal on the island's protected ecosystems, we collected 171 armadillos to determine their diets by stomach content analysis. We measured relative amounts of each food on a seasonal basis for a sub-sample of armadillos from oak-palmetto (N=44) versus oak-pine (N=43) habitats. Food habits of...