People in the Lawrence area are reporting sightings of armadillos, a foraging, armor-plated mammal more commonly seen in warmer climates.

There may be a new kind of creature making its home on the range.

People in the Lawrence area are reporting sightings of armadillos, a foraging, armor-plated mammal more commonly seen in warmer climates.

“I would say that we’re seeing two or three of them in a week in and around the Lawrence area,” said Marty Birrell, the Prairie Park Nature Center’s nature education supervisor. “We certainly are having a lot of reports.”

Armadillos, typically found in the southeastern United States, have long been inadvertently hauled northward when they stow away on farm machinery or trucks. But Birrell said that mild winters the past few years may mean more of these hitchhiking armadillos survive to live — and potentially breed — in the Lawrence area.

“In Douglas County, I know that we’ve released enough armadillos that have been collected that there’s undoubtedly a population of them that reproduce,” Birrell said. “But I suspect that there’s a natural but small reproducing population.”

Armadillos are shy, and Birrell said she has not heard any reports of baby armadillos in Lawrence, but that if people have encountered them they should inform the center. She said she has personally seen young armadillos in adjacent Osage County, which borders Douglas County on its southwestern side.

“If they’re one county away then you have to expect that there may be some in our county as well,” Birrell said. “But I don’t know of any confirmed, documented armadillos being born in Douglas County.”

The armadillo originated in Latin America, and its name means “little armored one.” There are about 20 species of armadillo, but the nine-banded armadillo is the only species found in the U.S., according to the National Wildlife Federation. The federation states that the armadillo’s range has been expanding continually northward for more than 100 years, and climate warming will further expand its potential range.

That seems to also be the case locally.

“We’re seeing climate change affecting their range and their survivability,” Birrell said. “The more of them that end up surviving their artificial transport into our state, the more likely we are to have a reproductive population in the future, assuming that these guys can find each other.”

Still, Birrell said because of armadillos’ small home range, their spread will continue to be gradual.

“It’s a long-term process and it’s really difficult to draw conclusions over a short period of time for something like this,” she said.

For those who do encounter armadillos, Birrell said they don’t present a threat to people or animals. However, she said they can carry bacteria such as leprosy, and people should use common sense and leave them alone — and definitely not try to touch them or hold them in captivity.

The animal’s biggest threat is likely vehicles. At least two armadillos were killed on Lawrence roadways last week. Because armadillos freeze in place and jump up when they feel threatened, Birrell said their defense mechanism doesn’t typically end well with traffic.

Off the roadside, though, the armored-plated, tufty-haired, long-snouted animals are something to behold.

“If people are able to see them and observe them alive, they are one of the most interesting mammals that we have,” Birrell said.