Missouri Outdoor

The nine-banded armadillo has been moving farther and farther north for the last 100 years. This is evident by the number of casualties found along our Missouri roads and highways.

Prior to the mid 1800’s, armadillos were heavily hunted in the southern United States and Mexico. Reduced hunting has allowed the armadillo population to climb and increase their home range. Armadillo will usually remain in the same area unless their population grows to large. This would explain their move northward.

The extent of their northern expansion is not yet known, however. Since they have such little body fat and they are not able to warm their extremities in cold temperatures. This makes surviving in extreme freezing conditions very difficult.

But regardless of this Armadillos are here in Missouri. So as we travel our Missouri roads and highways let’s watch our for our newest neighbor, the armadillo.

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