Armadillo detections in Northwest Arkansas

As the human footprint upon the landscape expands, wildlife seeking to
avoid human contact are losing the option of altering their spatial
distribution and instead are shifting their daily activity patterns to be
active at different times than humans.  In this study, we used
game cameras to evaluate how human development and activity were related
to the daily activity patterns of the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus
novemcinctus) along an urban to rural gradient in Arkansas, USA during the
winter of 2020-2021.  We found that armadillos had substantial
behavioral plasticity in regard to the timing of their activity patterns;
>95% of armadillo activity was nocturnal at six of the study sites
whereas between 30 and 60% of activity occurred during the day at 3 other
sites.  The likelihood of diurnal armadillo activity was best
explained by the distance to downtown Fayetteville (the nearest population
center) and estimated ambient sound level (both indices of human activity)
with armadillos being most active during the day at quiet sites far from
Fayetteville.  Furthermore, armadillo activity occurred later
during the night period (minutes after sunset)at sites near downtown and
with higher anthropogenic sound.  Anecdotal evidence suggests
that the observed activity shift may be in response to not only human
activity but the presence of domestic dogs.  Our results provide
further evidence that human activity has subtle nonlethal impacts on even
common, widespread wildlife species.  Because armadillos have low
body temperatures and basal metabolism, being active during cold winter
nights likely has measurable fitness costs.  Nature reserves near
human population centers may not serve as safe harbors for wildlife as we
intend, and managers could benefit from considering these nonlethal
responses in how they manage recreation and visitation in these natural
areas.