Yes, There Are Armadillos in KY But I Think They’re All Dead

Throughout my youth, I saw a TON of armadillos...but they were on the side of the interstate highway as we drove west to visit family in New Mexico. It was natural for me to think that if I was an armadillo, I would keep my butt OUT of Texas. The Lone Star State's version of the possum, indeed.

But let's tap the brakes for a second. Somewhere between ten and now, armadillos made their way east, and now it's not uncommon to see them in Kentucky. At some point, select bridges across the Mississippi River must have been LOADED with armored rodents. Or maybe they escaped from the Mississippi River Museum.

Yes, we have established the presence of armadillos in Kentucky.

The thing is...I'm starting to think they're all dead. It's almost like the "dead armadillo" is a SPECIES of armadillo. There's an old joke that reads, "Why did the chicken cross the road? To prove to the possum it could be done." These days, you could replace "possum" with "armadillo." In fact, I'm not real sure how this guy made it.

I have to hand it to Ish Ventures for capturing a live one on camera because I have NEVER. SEEN. A. LIVE. ARMADILLO. IN. MY. LIFE. (In person.)

I kid you not. Traveling the two-lanes over the last few weeks, I've seen untold numbers of dead armadillos, yet I have never seen a living armadillo. You could understand why I might think dead ones and live ones are separate species.

I've seen other creatures legendary for ending up as roadkill--like possums, raccoons, and skunks--scamper casually across the road from time to time. (I always applaud, by the way.) But never an armadillo.

Well, after a little research, I found that armadillos are primarily nocturnal animals. So that's automatically one strike against them. Secondly, they enjoy eating the decaying skin of dead animals, which means they would spend a lot of time on the road. Finally, they jump straight up into the air when they're startled. That would put them right into the grill of an oncoming vehicle.

Three strikes and they're out.

I'll keep looking, but I hold out no hope of EVER seeing a living, breathing armadillo. Bless their hearts.