What do fire ants, Asian tiger mosquitoes, kudzu, coyotes and armadillos have in common? They are all non-native to the state of Georgia.

Non-native species are animals, plants and other organisms that did not historically occur in Georgia. Currently Georgia has more than 200 non-native fish, animals, plants and insects that have now found a home in the state.

Some of the non-natives were introduced by humans and others arrived by natural range expansion.

Two of the most recent non-natives are animals that have migrated to Georgia from their natural range. Those two animals are the coyote and the armadillo.

We mistakenly assume the coyote is an animal of the western United States. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. The coyote has now spread across the entire United States.

A healthy population is now living in every county in Georgia. Just two weeks ago as I was driving to Eatonton through a residential neighborhood, a large coyote ran across the road in front of my car at 11 a.m.

The coyote is normally very elusive, and they prefer to roam and hunt at night. You may not often see them, but you can be sure they are in the neighborhood where you live. The disappearance of the red wolf during the last century has allowed the coyote to fill that void and migrate to every state in the United States.

The coyote looks like a small dog in appearance but has pointed ears and snout that distinguish them from dogs. Their color ranges from reddish-blond to solid black.

The coyote has exceptional eyesight and an acute sense of smell. The male coyote can weigh as much as 40 pounds.

The coyote’s main diet consists of small wild mammals, road kill and some vegetation. However, coyotes are opportunistic hunters and will kill any small animal, including dogs, cats, poultry, and will even kill newborn calves. If your garbage gets scattered around your yard at night, do not overlook the coyote as the possible culprit. Any food left outside your home is a potential meal for the coyote.

Until recent times, it was assumed that coyotes did not pose a threat to most of Georgia’s wild game. Coyotes do raid wild turkey nests and have eaten wild birds including quail, but it was generally thought that coyotes would not attack and eat larger wild game. However, after numerous confirmed photos from trail cameras proved otherwise, we now know they will kill young deer and even turkeys.

Being smart and opportunistic hunters has led coyotes to see an easy meal awaits them at wildlife feeders. Hunters place the feeders in the woods to feed wild game like deer and turkeys and thus attract the wild game to their hunting property.

Trail camera photos set up at these feeders often show either a roaming coyote or a coyote eating wild game near a feeder.

Coyotes, deer, and turkeys populate the same areas, but experts insist that the coyote does not pose a serious threat to the deer and turkey populations in Georgia. The coyote is a non-game animal and can be can be hunted year-round in Georgia.

The second non-native animal mentioned above is the armadillo and the armadillo, has recently arrived in central Georgia. The armadillo, now showing up in central and even northern Georgia in large numbers, is the nine-banded armadillo that originated in South America. The nine-banded armadillo is the only armadillo that is increasing in number. Most other species of armadillos are listed as threatened.

Armadillos primarily eat bugs but do also eat plants. Yards and gardens are the place where the armadillos create problems for landowners. They have the ability to root up an entire yard in one night. Their destructive digging is the result of their search for food. They will also dig deep holes where they will stay during the day before reappearing at night to begin their search for food.

I see more and more armadillos hit by cars in this area, and just last week a neighbor told me he saw one scooting across the street in our neighborhood. No armadillo damage in my yard yet, but I have personally seen how destructive the armadillo can be to a homeowner’s yard.

Armadillos are not a protected species and can be harvested year-round. Some people apparently think the armadillo is good table fare. During the great depression, armadillos were known as “Hoover Hogs” by Americans who had no choice but to eat them. President Hoover promised a “chicken in every pot,” but it turned out to be an “armadillo in every pot.” I think I will stick to chicken.

Unfortunately, many of the non-native species like the coyote and the armadillo are here to stay. Non-native species continue to increase in Georgia, so do your part and avoid releasing any non-native species into the environment.

See you next week.

Outdoor Columnist Bobby Peoples can be contacted via e-mail at brpeoples@windstream.net.