Armadillos Have A Home In Illinois, And May Be Moving Further North

ILLINOIS — Armadillos may not seem like your typical Illinois wildlife, but according to the state's Department of Natural Resources, the creatures most commonly associated with the southwest part of the country are in the state — and may be moving north thanks to global warming, officials believe.

The nine-banded armadillo is very distinct and is not easily confused with any other animal in Illinois, state officials wrote. The armadillos that take up residence in the southern part of the state grow to the size of a large cat, and their body shape is similar to that of an opossum.

Most closely related to a sloth or anteater, armadillos' bodies have bodies made of leathery skin that are brown to yellowish-white in color and weigh anywhere from 8 to 17 pounds.

While sightings of armadillos are extremely rare in the northern part of Illinois, state DNR officials are asking that if residents notice the creatures, they should alert the agency. Counties included in this tier include Cook, DuPage, DeKalb, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will.

Armadillos can survive in areas with a constant source of water that have annual temperatures above 28 degrees. Since they rely heavily on insects for food, have very little hair and do not hibernate, armadillos cannot easily survive when the ground is frozen for more than a few days, officials said.

Since the 1990s, there have been a few hundred verified armadillo sightings in Illinois, mostly in the southern half of the state. They are known to breed in Illinois.

The central breeding area for armadillos is located around Carbondale, and over the past 30 years, there have only been two verified sightings in Cook County and two more in DeKalb County, the Chicago Tribune reported.

However, state officials believe that as spring becomes wetter and winters become milder, the conditions for armadillos become more ideal. And with each passing year, biologists believe that could allow armadillos to trek farther north.

“It’s a living illustration of the insidious effects of climate change,” Trent Ford, Illinois state climatologist told the Tribune. “When you talk (climate change), you really have to tailor it to your audience, but even someone ideologically conservative (on the subject of climate change), when they see an armadillo in Illinois, walking around their backyard, they tend to recognize, OK, something’s different now.”