Armadillos, known for their armor-like skin and powerful digging abilities, are steadily moving northward through Indiana and approaching Michigan\u2019s border. <\/p>\n
According to a recent U.S. Geological Survey study, these are the 3 takeaways from the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n 1. Armadillos have been spotted just miles from Michigan\u2019s border<\/b><\/p>\n There have been 97 armadillo occurrences in Indiana since 2013, with the northernmost sighting in Porter County, approximately five miles from the Michigan border. Reports have also emerged in Steuben County in northeast Indiana and Elkhart County east of South Bend. The frequency of armadillo sightings has significantly increased in recent years, with nearly 80% of reports filed between 2017 and 2021, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.<\/p>\n 2. Armadillos are now established in 17 states, including several in the Midwest<\/b><\/p>\n The nine-banded armadillo, typically associated with southwestern Indiana, has expanded its territory and is now considered established in 17 states, including Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Kentucky. While occasional armadillo sightings have been reported in Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, and Virginia, there is no evidence of armadillo detections in Minnesota, Wisconsin, or West Virginia. Experts predict armadillos are likely about 56 miles away from reaching Ohio, likely first appearing in the southwest corner of the state.<\/p>\n 3. Michigan\u2019s harsh winters may limit armadillo expansion<\/b><\/p>\n While armadillos could potentially reach Michigan by moving north through Indiana or northeast from Illinois, the state\u2019s cold and harsh winters present the biggest obstacle to the species\u2019 survival. Armadillos have sparse fur, limited body fat, and generally low body temperature, making them highly susceptible to hypothermia or starvation during extended periods of sub-freezing temperatures. <\/p>\n Though armadillos can survive extreme cold by remaining in their burrows, their northward expansion will likely be slowed and eventually halted by harsh winter conditions.<\/p>\n Generative AI was used to produce an initial draft of this story, which was edited and expanded by MLive staff.<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Armadillos, known for their armor-like skin and powerful digging abilities, are steadily moving northward through Indiana and approaching…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":140634,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[83961,9243,68740,83962,83963,746,76991,83964,83965,33397,83966,83967,83968,83969,83970,83971,83972,83973,11260,83974,159,83975,83976,1439,67,132,68,9272,837],"class_list":{"0":"post-151011","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-armored","9":"tag-color","10":"tag-colour","11":"tag-copyright-jon-g-fuller-jr","12":"tag-eats-worms-and-insects","13":"tag-environment","14":"tag-fauna","15":"tag-ground-dwelling","16":"tag-horizontal-format","17":"tag-images","18":"tag-insect-eating","19":"tag-insectivorous","20":"tag-jon-fuller-photographynaturephoto","21":"tag-lc-least-concern-iucn-conservation-status","22":"tag-long-nosed-armadillo","23":"tag-natural-world","24":"tag-nine-banded-armadillo-dasypus-novemcinctus","25":"tag-nocturnal","26":"tag-outside","27":"tag-rights-managed","28":"tag-science","29":"tag-stock-photography","30":"tag-terrestrial","31":"tag-u-s","32":"tag-united-states","33":"tag-unitedstates","34":"tag-us","35":"tag-wild","36":"tag-wildlife"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151011"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151011\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}