CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) - An animal usually associated with the American Southwest has been seen a bit out of its element lately -- in southern Illinois.There have been dozens of armadillo sightings in Illinois in recent years -- most of them in southern Illinois counties. That's according to the Illinois Natural History Survey reports.Dr. Clay Nielsen is an ecologist with Southern Illinois University-Carbondale's Cooperative Wildlife Research Lab. He says many armadillos have been positively identified after being struck and killed by vehicles.Nielsen says the armored, football-shaped animals don't mind living near humans and sometimes travel along roadways.He says it's unclear why they've migrated to Illinois. But he doesn't think they pose any threat to the region's ecosystem.(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Armadillo Sightings In Southern Illinois Puzzle Ecologists
An animal usually associated with the American Southwest has been seen a bit out of its element lately -- in southern Illinois.
