Armadillos On The Move To North Carolina

North Carolina is experiencing what could be an unusual impact from climate change: more armadillos. The small land mammals are native to Central and South America, but milder winters may have some of them calling the Piedmont home.

At roughly 2 feet tall and up to 14 pounds, an armadillo is similar in stature to an opossum. But armadillos are the only mammals that come with a shell — actually, hardened skin plates — covering their bodies, and their long, pig-like snout used to forage by smell gives them the nickname “armored pig.”

The first armadillo sighting in North Carolina was in 2007 in Macon County. Since then, wildlife officials have received nearly 200 reports across 46 counties of the mostly nocturnal animal. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has reported a credible observation — meaning the source was credible but no photo was taken — in Guilford County, and one confirmed sighting (with photo) in Alamance County. 

Information and Communication Specialist Jodie Owen says the small creatures pose little threat.

“One of the things that they do is they feed on invertebrates like grubs and beetles, so they dig into the ground,” says Owen. “So, if they got into your garden they may upend some ornamental plants, uproot some of your vegetables or whatever. But for the most part they're pretty harmless.”

Owen says biologists are working to document the population, and they need the public's help. 

“We want people to report their sightings to us so we can determine their range expansion in North Carolina,” says Owen. “We've set up a project on iNaturalist called NC Armadillo. People can download the app on their iPhone or Android and then they can upload any photos or sightings of armadillos that they've seen in the wild in North Carolina.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: The broadcast version of this story mistakenly states that armadillos are the only animals that come with a shell, when in fact they are the only mammal.