Michigan is home to plenty of exotic wildlife, including 1,000-pound mammals, tiny freshwater crustaceans and venomous snakes. If experts are correct, that diverse group might soon gain a new member: armadillos.
That’s right; the mammal known for its armor-like shell and long, sharp claws for digging could soon become a regular in the Wolverine State, a recent study from the U.S. Geological Survey said.
“It will be interesting to monitor when armadillos begin to regularly reach and establish in new states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Virginia,” the report said. “Mapping the spread of armadillos over time, it appears that Ohio will likely be reached from armadillos spread from west to east in Indiana, Michigan could be reached by armadillos coming north through Indiana or northeast from Illinois, and Virginia has already begun to document armadillos likely coming from North Carolina.”
The report cites at least 97 armadillo sightings in Indiana since 2013, the furthest north being in Porter County, just 8.5 km (or 5.3 miles) from the Michigan border. The first documented armadillo in Indiana came in 2003, with 11 more detections in southwest Indiana over the next 10 years. Based on where they were found, it’s likely those animals came from Illinois rather than Kentucky. Also, the Ohio River also makes it nearly impossible for the mammals to move north of the Kentucky border.
Armadillos are much more common in Illinois, with the first confirmed record dating back to 1983. Since 1999, there have been 411 occurrences in the state, mostly in the southern region and small pockets near Champaign and Piatt counties. However, the report states there are ‘regular sightings’ in the northwestern part of the state, although it is unclear if these are dispersing individuals or established populations.
The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) and its geographic range have been of interest to experts and, like all wildlife, have their pros and cons when introduced to a new ecosystem. The large, numerous burrows they are known to dig have widespread use for other animals living among armadillos, especially in landscapes where agriculture is prevalent.
“Armadillos are important ecosystem engineers, and their ecological role warrants more investigation and attention as opposed to only being viewed and managed as agricultural and garden pests,” stated a report in Ecology and Evolution by Brett A. DeGregorio, John T. Veon and Andrhea Massey.
Those same burrows can be a problem for farmers, landowners and infrastructure alike, meaning their expansion northward is something wildlife managers will be keeping an eye on and planning ahead for.
That expansion northward will, eventually, come to a halt. According to the report, the lack of a suitable climate will stop the range expansion as freezing temperatures and precipitation take their toll on foraging populations like armadillos.
There have been reports of dead armadillos in Michigan in the past, but the Michigan Department of Natural Resources did not believe they were from the state, rather road kill that had been brought over from another state.
Still, as the populations continue northward, time will tell if the armored mammal will take up residency in the mitten.
Contact GHT Sports Editor and Michigan Outdoors Reporter Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Armadillos in Michigan? A report says the armored mammal might be in the mitten soon
Reporting by Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
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