Armadillos may soon become established in Michigan, study says

A study predicts that armadillos could soon reach Michigan as their range expansion heads north across the U.S.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Armadillos may soon become commonplace in Michigan.

A new study reveals that the nine-banded armadillo is expanding its range across the U.S., reaching as far north as Indiana and Iowa, indicating potential future expansion into states like Michigan.

The study explains that “this rapid range expansion has been a result of land use change, climate change, and at least one human-facilitated release in Florida.”

Brett DeGregorio, Ph.D., from Michigan State University, is one of the authors of the study. He says the migration of armadillos – which first arrived in southern Texas in 1849 – has been centuries in the making.

“Human development and kind of the way that we changed the South Texas landscape allowed them to finally cross the Rio Grande,” DeGregorio said. “Since then, they’ve just been moving on their own.”

Though he says climate change is a factor in armadillos’ migration since they’re native to warmer climates, it’s not the primary expansion spur.

“They’re just born to run … rather than establishing a home range and staying there their entire life,” DeGregorio said. “10 to 20% of [them] just pick a direction and they move that direction [their entire lives].”

They’re strange looking creatures. 

About the size of a house cat, they’re covered in grey scales and have a long, pointy nose. 

One of their biggest quirks is their affinity for digging holes – and lots of them. 

“They dig these big burrows,” DeGregorio said. “The entrance is about the size of a volleyball and they can go down about six feet. If you get an established population of armadillos in a forest, all of a sudden you’re gonna have thousands of these burrows on the landscape.”

The burrows allow armadillos to avoid predators and rough weather, which could be key to the creatures surviving harsh Michigan winters. The additional holes could also be a big help to other animals, allowing them to seek refuge from anything – predators, temperatures or even fires. 

While burrows are good for wildlife, they’re less helpful for people –and they might be bad news for gardeners. 

“[Armadillos] can cause some conflict with people because they root around, dig up the soil looking for grubs,” DeGregorio said. “There’s no doubt that they cause damage to people’s gardens, people’s yards – so be on the lookout for those new, suspicious holes.”

Disturbed lawns aside, DeGregorio says there shouldn’t be anything to worry about with the armadillos’ arrival.

“They’re harmless. They’re eating bugs. They’re minding their own business,” DeGregorio said. “Enjoy these charismatic, cool, alien-looking things.”

But before animal-enthused Michiganders get too excited, DeGregorio does not recommend adopting an armadillo as a pet.

“They’re nocturnal, so they’re going to be active at night,” DeGregorio said. “They’re kind of a solitary animal, so I don’t think they’re going to be particularly affectionate or cuddly.”

In terms of a timeline, DeGregorio isn’t sure precisely when armadillos will be arriving, but he says they’ll be established in Michigan “certainly in our lifetimes.”