MISSOURI, USA — Multiple drivers in Missouri are noticing an increasing trend along the state's roadways: more and more armadillo corpses with fresh tire tracks.
The roadkill is a common sight along many southern Missouri roadways, including I-55 and I-44. One user on Missouri's subreddit recently said they spotted 90 dead armadillos on a 60-mile stretch of Highway 13 between Springfield and Osceola.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has also been getting increasing reports of the run-over animals and, while no research or scientific data has specifically looked into the trend, conservationists have some ideas for why people may be noticing armadillos more.
"A possible cause might be that with the warmer weather, we are seeing more insect activity and therefore more armadillo activity as they are searching for invertebrate food sources," an MDC spokesperson told 5 On Your Side. "We are also coming out of a lighter winter, so the population might be a bit higher with more armadillos surviving with the milder temperatures of the past winter."
Armadillo populations are largely controlled by extreme cold, according to MDC. The animals don't hibernate and aren't adapted to finding food during periods of snow and ice. To escape the cold, armadillos usually retreat underground where many either freeze or starve to death. The past winter's warmer temperatures may have lessened the usually dramatic winter population drop.
Another possible cause for armadillos' increased activity is that now is the time between armadillo birthing and mating periods.
"The females give birth in March and April, so they might be searching more heavily for food resources this time of year," MDC said. "Breeding usually takes place in the summer, so the movements aren’t likely to be related to breeding."
Find out more about armadillo benefits, habitats and life cycles on MDC's website here.
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