Armadillos are migrating from Southern states into the Midwest. (Photo by Hollingsworth, John and Karen – USFWS)
Armadillos are moving out of Southern states and are pushing into the
Midwest in record numbers. Adam Allington reports:
Transcript
Armadillos are moving out of Southern states and are pushing into the
Midwest in record numbers. Adam Allington reports:
Prior to the 1900s, armadillos were hemmed in by large rivers and open
prairie grasslands that weren’t suitable habitat. Now, all that’s changed.
Humans have cultivated the kind of woodlands and thickets that armadillos
need for cover.
Lynn Robbins is a biology professor at Missouri State University:
We’re getting a lot more records in central Illinois, we’re getting more records up into
Nebraska, we’ve found them now moving up into Indiana… have no records so far in
Iowa, I would not be surprised if somebody called and said ‘yes, they’re here.'”
Robbins says warmer winters and lower average snowfall are one hypothesis
for the expanding armadillo range. They are also prolific breeders and have
no natural predators.
For the Environment Report, I’m Adam Allington