![]() ![]() Armadillos don’t bite and don’t spread disease. But the state mammalogist said he isn’t worried about the pending natural invasion of a new resident species, other than for their novelty value.So don’t panic about the coming invasion. But “in the Wabash drainage area, there is soft, productive farmland” that would accommodate armadillo’s lust for grubs, Johnson said. Armadillos are most comfortable in loose, sandy loam. Frozen clay is completely inhospitable to the diggers. Today, they can be found from New Mexico to North Carolina, from Florida as far north as central Illinois, and now, Gibson County, Ind.Clay soil isn’t armadillo-friendly. Prior to about 1850, the anteater cousin was not found north of the Rio Grande. We’ll have to see what they can do over the winter,” Whitaker said.The nine-banded armadillo has expanded its range northward into the United States. So are they expanding their range into Indiana? Will armadillos soon be common here? “I’m guessing that may happen. They seem to survive mild winters,” Whitaker said. “They’re all over southwestern Illinois, and a few are farther north. Despite that, armadillos are steadily expanding their range and moving north. And when the ground is frozen solid, there is no food for an armadillo. Armadillos don’t have a lot of body fat, so they must forage for food on a daily basis. But the armored mammals don’t hibernate and aren’t well adapted to survive cold weather. Nine-banded armadillos are recent residents of those states.There were just two armadillo records in Illinois before 2000, but in the past eight years, there have been about 150 more, Whitaker said. ![]() All four were not too far from the Illinois and Kentucky borders. Others have turned up at a different location in Gibson County, and in Dubois and Vanderburgh counties. The first one was found in 2003, just this side of the Illinois state line in Gibson County. Fresh blood near the victim is the way to ensure it’s a kill in Indiana, said Indiana Department of Natural Resources mammal ecologist Scott Johnson. Somebody brought it in from Texas or somewhere,” said John Whitaker, a biology professor at Indiana State University and author of “Mammals of Indiana.”But four legitimate, credible road kill armadillos have turned up in Indiana, Whitaker said. 5, someone noticed an interesting bit of road kill near Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area in Greene County: An armadillo.“That one was shown to be a fake. ![]()
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