Armadillos expanding to Southeast Missouri

SIKESTON, Mo. — They've been described to state conservation officials as "weird shell-looking things" and "overgrown turtles," but the mammals stumping many Southeast Missouri residents are actually armadillos.

"There are a lot of people here in Missouri who don't know what they are," said Jeremy Soucy, education specialist for the Missouri Department of Conservation's Southeast Region.

Soucy said the mammals are migrating from the Arkansas and Oklahoma region to Missouri.

"They've been in the southwest region of the state. Recently, in the past few years or so, we've seen them in this region," Soucy said. Armadillos originated in South America, but one type of armadillo has wandered slowly northward in search of bugs to eat. Nine-banded armadillos reached Texas in the 1800s and showed up in the southernmost reaches of Missouri by the mid-1970s.

While Soucy said he didn't have any figures of how many armadillos are in the region, the mammals are increasingly expanding their range due to global warming trends and their rising populations, necessitating new territories.

"Most residents who've seen armadillos have primarily noticed them lying dead on the side of the interstate," Soucy said. "They're slow-moving, and one of their mechanisms of defense is to jump several feet straight up." Weighing up to 20 pounds and equipped with armor plates, an armadillo can pack an unintentional blow when alarmed.

"They're interesting creatures," Soucy said. "They're relatively harmless as long as they're left alone. They get a bad rap because they're known for spreading the leprosy virus, but they are not overly aggressive to humans."

The risk of humans contracting leprosy from armadillos is very small, Soucy said. And they haven't seemed to cause any problems with other local wildlife, such as a decline in other creatures in this region, he said. Armadillos are also notorious diggers and can wreak havoc on yards, but they can be trapped and moved, Soucy said. While humans complain about armadillos vandalizing their land, some animals benefit from their activities.

"Armadillos often dig dens which are used by other species such as snakes, skunks and groundhogs," said Bob Pierce, a University of Missouri Extension wildlife specialist, in a news release.

Armadillos hibernate, which is why more are visible when the temperatures rise, Soucy said. And when they do hibernate, they need to bury themselves into the ground. If the ground is permanently frozen, they can't bury themselves, which is what keeps them from moving farther north, where the ground is frozen during the winter, he said.

"Armadillos enjoy the Missouri climate to an extent and are here to stay — at least for now," Soucy said.