The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is asking people to let them know if they see a nine-banded armadillo so biologists can determine how far they have expanded in the state.
Armadillos lack thick insulation and can more easily starve or freeze to death, so officials say because North Carolina is experiencing fewer long stretches of below-freezing weather, armadillos are expanding northward.
“Whether armadillos continue spreading beyond their current range will be largely determined by climate,” according to Colleen Olfenbuttel, the Commission’s black bear and furbearer biologist. “The number of counties with confirmed observations is 28, stretching from Cherokee to Dare counties. This makes it likely the armadillo is expanding its range naturally throughout North Carolina, rather than being helped by human intervention.”
Sightings can be reported by uploading and sharing photos on the iNaturalist app, available for iPhone and Android, or emailing them to armadillo@ncwildlife.org. They are asking that the message includes the photo, the date and time the armadillo was seen, and where.
