INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana now has breeding populations of armadillos.

According to a recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), armadillos have colonized much of southeastern Indiana and are spreading north and west, including sightings in and around Marion County. 

The armadillos seem to be spreading along the Wabash and White rivers. Since 2003, 205 armadillos have been spotted in Indiana. The USGS estimates Marion County and all of the counties around it may have breeding armadillo populations, meaning they are "established."

Armadillos mostly eat bugs, especially ants. But they can eat a wider variety of food too, and that may be what lets them survive the colder winters in Indiana.

Credit: U.S. Geological Survey

The area in red shows where the USGS believes armadillos may have permanent breeding populations in Indiana.

The first armadillo in Indiana was reported in 2003 in Gibson County. Experts believe they came from Illinois because the Ohio River is too wide for them to cross over from Kentucky. 

The armadillos in Indiana are nine-banded armadillos, named because of the number of thin strips in the middle of their armored shell. Those bands make the armor more flexible, which lets armadillos roll into a ball when they are threatened. 

While their feet and shell look scaly, armadillos are mammals like us. They give birth to live young that look like tiny, softer adult armadillos. When armadillos have babies, they almost always have quadruplets. Litters of four babies, called pups, are most common, but they can have up to 12.

Armadillos are not likely to attack you, but they can cause trouble on the roads. When an armadillo is scared, it can jump up to 5 feet in the air! That means it often jumps up into the undercarriage of cars and trucks, causing damage with its hard shell and killing the animal. 

They are also one of the only non-human animals that can carry leprosy.

Armadillos can live up to 30 years. 

Unlike many new animals that come to Indiana, armadillos weren't brought here by humans. But we certainly helped. Bridges over the Rio Grande river on the border let armadillos move north for the first time in the 1800s. Scientist believe climate change, driven by greenhouse gases, have made winters more mild, which lets the armadillos survive farther and farther north. 

Credit: Bernheim Forest

If you see an armadillo in Indiana, make sure to use the Department of Natural Resource's (DNR) "Report a Mammal" form to let them know. 

The DNR does not think expanded armadillos will have a negative impact on Indiana's native wildlife. The DNR does not have an active management plan for the species.

Armadillos do dig, and that may bother you if it happens on your property. But you need to be careful how you deal with it. Nine-banded armadillos are protected under Indiana Administrative Code (312 IAC 9-3-18.5), and they cannot be trapped or killed unless the armadillo is destroying or causing substantial damage to property. If property damage is occurring, resident landowners and tenants can remove the armadillo without a permit or contact a permitted wildlife control operator.

Armadillos have been in Texas since the mid 1850s. In fact, in Texas, they don't have a groundhog predict the start of spring: they have an armadillo named Bee Cave Bob.

SOURCE Armadillos are probably established in Indiana | wthr.com