Welcome to Kansas, armadillos
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
KANSAS ALWAYS seems to have a population of phantom animals — species that are seen fairly often but have yet to be confirmed by wildlife officials. Most recently, it has been mountain lions.
A few years back, it was armadillos. Not a summer went by without unconfirmed armadillo sightings along highways in southern Kansas. Armadillos are not easy to mistake. They look a bit like armored opossums.
From wildlife biologists, reactions ranged from snorts of disbelief to cautious statements constructing plausible explanations for how such warm-weather creatures could have strayed so far from their home grounds on the plains of Texas and Mexico. Those explanations usually involved some sort of human intervention — the armadillo hitched a ride on a northbound truck, perhaps, or a captive armadillo escaped.
However they got here, there is no longer any doubt that there are armadillos in Kansas. Enough have been spotted by unimpeachable witnesses or met their ends on the highways to make it clear that the state has its own population of the strange little critters.
Not only are armadillos now an accepted part of Kansas fauna, but they are still on the move.
The Lawrence Journal-World reported last week that the animals are now being spotted on highways in the northern parts of the state. With the sightings come a warning: An armadillo, when encountered on the highway, is is not your run-of-the-mill road kill. They may look like mobile speed bumps and they are much smaller than deer, but armadillos can do serious damage to a car or truck.
It turns out that armadillos, which are known for rolling themselves up into armored balls when attacked, have another defensive tactic available. They have strong hind legs and, sometimes, will leap in the air to startle an opponent. Such a leap can put the little animals in the path of headlights and radiators.
A Douglas County official quoted in the Lawrence report said the situation is not serious enough to require the posting of armadillo-crossing signs on highways.
But it is probably only a matter of time. The state’s armadillo population is growing and the animals, just like deer, have never gotten the hang of crossing highways. Armadillos are likely to become more of a nuisance in Kansas as the years pass.
Unless the mountain lions develop a taste for them.
Patrick S. Kelley
Editorial Page Editor
madpoet (anonymous) says...
I've seen dead armadillos along the highway by ESU and east of town before. They're quite common in Cowley County now. We rarely go to Winfield anymore without seeing a few dead beside the highway. My father lives in Winfield and several years back had one totally demolish his yard. I personally can't wait until we get a live one in our yard just so I can see how our cats react. That should be a Kodak moment. :)
June 30, 2009 at 1:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
abc123 (anonymous) says...
Our house way out in the hills of Chase Co. had metal skirting and one night an armadillo was trying to dig under it and made the worst loud scraping sound as his armour rubbed the metal. Our border collie couldn't touch him when he rolled up in that ball he was safe from the dog's teeth!
Last month the kids and I drove to Tulsa OK from Emporia and counted over 20 roadkill armadillos just one way!
June 30, 2009 at 1:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blulitespecial (anonymous) says...
I've seen two killed on the turnpike between Admire and Topeka.I stopped and looked them over to make sure that nobody could say"well, you think you saw something at 75 mph".This was in the very early to mid 90's.I reported both to Fish and Game.If you see one well over 15 years ago,there's got to be a lot more. They hitched a ride on a truck? Just seems pretty darn unlikely,but I guess there are a lot of things shipped that are set outside in storage areas until loaded. They might have took up residence in a large piece of equipment that suddenly went for a long ride.When I saw the first smaller one,I thought maybe a"pet" that died on the way North.But it was hit hit by a vehicle and still on the pavement where it was hit.The second was full grown. Well,they're here now.
June 30, 2009 at 1:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madpoet (anonymous) says...
ha ha YY4U!
June 30, 2009 at 2:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
Shoot, we may even see pirhana in the cottonwood and neosho river and maybe even amazon giant river otter also.
You know with global warming and the destruction of wildlife habitat, who knows what one may see !
June 30, 2009 at 2:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mythoughts (anonymous) says...
Is that not a pair of banana trees growing at 12th and Walnut? hmmm.
June 30, 2009 at 3:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
YY4U ;
If the polar ice caps melted and the oceans rose enough to bring the Gulf of Mexico up to your front yard this area would be so densly populated you wouldn't even be able to see the beach front or your front yard !
June 30, 2009 at 8:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Perhaps a Armadillo Visitors Center will be needed?
June 30, 2009 at 9:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
evil_conservative (anonymous) says...
Armadillo populations have been inching northward for the last 3 million years because they have very few natural predators. Don't even start with the Global Warming nonsense!
June 30, 2009 at 10:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
That is until man learns how to like armadillo chile.
July 1, 2009 at 6:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
evil_conservative
I thought all you don't believe in global warming, science hating, evil conservative types thought the earth was only about six thousand years old.....whered this three million come from? LOL
July 1, 2009 at 7 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
It just may be that not all conservatives think exactly the same way. Maybe.
July 1, 2009 at 8:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madpoet (anonymous) says...
I bet armadillo tastes just like chicken. ;)
Possum on the half shell.
July 1, 2009 at 9:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
If the number of cougar stories and sightings I've heard about over the years were true, Kansas would have more cougars than all the mountain states combined. Everybody and their brother claims to have seen a cougar around here yet none have ever been hit by cars or farm equipment, none have been caught in traps, shot when seen(by those claiming to have seen them), none have been captured on trailcameras which are everywhere now. People have cougar on the brain and want to be the first one to prove they're really here. So what if they are?
Armadillos have been around Lyon Co. for the last 20 plus years, a friend brought one by my house to show me back in the 80's. He had caught it West of Americus. Their existence is not hard to prove. They are more stupid than the opposum when crossing roads, their bodies litter the roads.
July 1, 2009 at 9:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
Sasquatch eats armidilios and cougars, since the cougar population is rising he or she is favoring cougars because of the convenience thus the rise in the number of armidealios. It's simple science really..... or math .... Any way ..... Sasquatch.
July 1, 2009 at 11:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
There was a cougar shot in Osage County a few years ago, the person that shot it was also smacked with a felony for doing so(it is illegal). There are a lot of stories, but talk to any of the old railroaders around here they will tell you they exist.
July 1, 2009 at 1:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
Don't let Sasquatch catch you shooting a cougar or eatin' an armadilia it makes him/her very angry ............. very angry indeed.
July 1, 2009 at 2:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madpoet (anonymous) says...
Ha ha ha! I'm going to have to get the grill ready for armadillo now. ;)
As to cougar sightings, I know 2 people who have gotten very good looks at them. I also have seen tracks by the river east of town. I DO know the difference between a cougar and bobcat track, by the way. The landowner said yes, he'd seen one on the other side of the river a time or two. Cougars have large territories and several people could be seeing the same one. Plus cougars are smart and usually wary of people so stay out of sight. After the one incident, I'm betting anyone who shoots a cougar won't be telling anyone about it, either.
July 1, 2009 at 2:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madpoet (anonymous) says...
YY4U, I'll be sure to carry foot powder from now on anytime I go walking in the woods. Thanks for the tip!
I needed a good laugh!
July 1, 2009 at 2:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Well I wish that sasquatch would eat all the squirrels. He could even camp out in my back yard if he/she wants to because I've got a lovely apple crop coming in and soon it will be time to begin the squirrel wars again. Hmmmm, I wonder if I leave a bunch of foot powder around the yard if he/she could be enticed.
July 1, 2009 at 7:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
evil_conservative (anonymous) says...
biscuitboy:
I just love it when someone who doesn't know me tries to tell me what I believe!
Here is the source on the 3 million years:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD...
July 1, 2009 at 9:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
"There was a cougar shot in Osage County a few years ago, the person that shot it was also smacked with a felony for doing so(it is illegal)."
Name? Date? Was this person charged in Osage Co or in what court?
I assure you, you will not find a court in the Eastern 1/2 of Kansas that will have such a report in their public records.
Your "story" is just that, yet another story about the phantom cougars of Kansas. I'm not saying you are liar, we all want to believe what our friends and family tell us. The only person charged with killing a cougar in Kansas, the only confirmed cougar in nearly 100 years BTW, was from SW Kansas. He shot the cougar and sent the body to a taxidermist to be trophy mounted. See the link below.
http://www.cougarnet.org/prairie-desc...
July 1, 2009 at 10:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
Sasquatch is afraid of large canals.
July 1, 2009 at 11:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
HillsReader (anonymous) says...
Here's the link to the LJW article. You can see the photo. One of the users emailed the online editor and told him where to send out the photographer.You'll enjoy the comments. They too are a snarky bunch of clowns.
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2009/jun...
July 2, 2009 at 1:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
evil_conservative
lol.....laughing out loud......it means it was a joke (or can indicate sarcasm)......in this case it was meant's has a sarcastic joke. I don't know anything about your believes but you appear to be a little short on a sense of humor. Sorry!
July 2, 2009 at 4:25 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
I'll try to get a picture of Sasquatch dining on a nice juicy armdadila for the kiosk. With him/her favoring cougars as of late this won't be an easy task but whatever it takes for the kiosk.
July 2, 2009 at 8:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
you wascally yybit you
July 2, 2009 at 7:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Thanks for your community service, seriously. If we can document sasquatch in our area, we've got the tourism thing in the bag.
We'll be inundated with onlookers who probably like to drink beer and discuss their experiences. If Stonehenge moves out to the kiosk, then we could erect a life-sized seven or eight foot sasquatch in its place complete with small niches for people to leave offerings of foot powder. How about an audio component where people could listen to favorite sasquatch music. That's your department, seriously -- Big Foot stomping music. Or is that big foot-stomping music?
July 3, 2009 at 6:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
Sasquatch is a huge Little Feat fan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FekVR...
July 3, 2009 at 5:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
Me too......Fat man in the bathtub...Feats don't fail me know......great band!
July 3, 2009 at 5:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blulitespecial (anonymous) says...
Little Feat Chinese Work Songs CD is playing right now...big fan here,too.
July 3, 2009 at 6:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
Maybe we could even have Sasquatch swilling from the big beer can while holding an armidillia bone in the other hand.
July 4, 2009 at 5:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Excellent choice, seriously. Enjoyed that immensely and will put it on my playlist. Perhaps Little Feat, played loud enough, will attract Sasquatch up from Oklahoma where he has been sighted recently.
July 4, 2009 at 6:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
Sassy(as his/her closest friend call him/her) gets around quite a bit. If it wasn't for the Ted Nugent costume Sassy often wears there would be a lot more sightings. Next time you see Ted take a closer look but not too close.
July 4, 2009 at 10:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )