Conspecific scent improves capture rates for nine-banded armadillos

Abstract

Nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcintus) are considered a nuisance species throughout its U.S. range. They are often the target of wildlife mitigation techniques to reduce its ill-effects on property, biodiversity, and other resources; however, efficient techniques for humane removal evade managers. Most trapping techniques tested to date have used a food-based lure with minimal success. We tested the effects of adding a conspecific attractant—armadillo scent—to wooden traps to improve capture rates. Compared to the reference trap type, the conspecific attractant trap was 8.3 times more effective (Odds Ratio = 8.30, CL= 2.38, 25.00). Our findings suggest that the addition of armadillo scent to traps will improve trapping efficiency. We encourage additional researchers to test additional trap and scent combinations to further improve efficiency.