A new critter is fast becoming a common sight in central Kansas. It has a tiny head with a long pointy little snout and perky little ears, much like an anteater. It’s armor-plated from head to toe, sort of like a mini rhinoceros. It has claws so long they seem out of proportion to the rest of its body. Its tail is as long as its body, and is jointed and armor plated clear to the tip.

Yup, you guessed it, it’s an armadillo.

Although very common throughout Texas and much of Oklahoma, it was once thought they could never survive our central and northern Kansas winters due to their intolerance to cold. Biologists are now rethinking that since they are obviously surviving well here in central Kansas and are not uncommon even into parts of Nebraska. A few years ago I spent a day with a trapper west of here in Stafford Co. checking bobcat traps in the middle of January.

At one stop, we walked up an old farm lane lined with big cedar trees and he showed me where armadillos had been scratching and foraging in the thick mat of needles and cedar debris under the trees; their distinctive three-toed scratch marks gave them away. It is now believed that soft and sandy soil allowing them to easily forage for grubs and worms and to dig burrows is more important to their survival than temperature.

The Nine Banded Armadillo is the state mammal of TX, and originally came from South America. They are covered, front and rear, with hard, immoveable shell-like material. This armor is connected around the middle of their body with nine bands of moveable boney plate, much like an accordion, which allows them to move around and to roll into a ball when threatened. They have very poor eyesight but extremely sensitive hearing. It’s believed they can hear grubs several inches under the ground. An instinctive reaction to jump straight into the air when startled is probably why they seem to be frequent road kill victims.

Because their metabolism requires a constant intake of food, they cannot tolerate long periods of severe weather, and are extremely sensitive to cold. They are classified as omnivorous, meaning they will eat practically anything; however, earthworms, grubs, insects and insect larvae make up the vast majority of their diet. The long claws and narrow pointed snout equip them perfectly for digging out this food. These dining habits are both a blessing and a curse. Armadillos rid lawns of destructive grubs, but they also relish beneficial earthworms, and the whole process wreaks havoc with the yards and gets them into hot water with landowners and golf course superintendents.

As if the outward appearance of Nine Banded Armadillos does not make them unique enough, their reproductive process makes them even more amazing. They typically breed in July, but the fertilized embryo lies in a sort of dormant state in the female until November, when it begins to grow. She gives birth to four young in March. These four young are always the same sex, and are identical quadruplets, because they form from the same egg! Armadillos are the only known mammals that give birth to multiple young from the same egg with any regularity.

I believe Nine Banded Armadillos continue moving northward into Kansas for a couple reasons. While we have cold snaps every winter, as a whole our winters are not that bad anymore and obviously the armadillo has found a way to adapt to them. Now visualize the “zillions” of acres of sand hills and otherwise sandy soil in central KS, all of which make for easy digging and burrowing. Add to that all the golf courses with their lovely greens and fairways and the innumerable acres of lawns into which we Kansans pour millions of dollars and hours each year to keep pristine. Viola! Armadillo Heaven!

I predict we should “bone up” on our Armadillo removal techniques, as I don’t foresee them leaving this “armadillo heaven” anytime soon. In fact, since we see so many dead along the road, Joyce suggests we name the armadillo as our “Kansas state road kill.”
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Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].

Compared to recent years, Kansas’ weather has been mostly nice to the state’s cattle producers this summer. As temperatures rise, it is a good idea for livestock producers to keep in mind how their livestock react to the summer heat.

Kansas State University beef veterinarian A.J. Tarpoff is sounding the bells for livestock producers to take some extra measures to protect their herds during days in when temperatures are forecast to top 100 degrees.

“Water, water and lots of water,” said Tarpoff, who noted that the beef industry loses an estimated $369 million each year due to the effects of heat stress. “Whenever we have a heat stress event, that is the most essential nutrient for animals, times five.

“I say, ‘times five’ because the question always comes up about how much water do cattle need, and the answer is that they need five times the amount of water that they are taking up in dry matter.”

For a cow that is consuming 30 pounds of dry matter, that comes out to about 20 gallons per day. Multiply that by the number of cattle in an operation, and the need for water grows exponentially.

Tarpoff said cows try to cool themselves by panting heavily (evaporative cooling), and somewhat by sweating – though they are inefficient sweaters compared to humans. Cows accumulate a heat load during the day and rely on cooler, nighttime temperatures for relief.

Producers can aid in cooling not only by providing more water, but also by changing some of their management strategies during the hottest days.

For example, Tarpoff notes, producers should consider providing most of the cattle’s feed later in the day, as much as 70 percent. Doing so will help to reduce digestive heat, or the heat that accumulates when cattle eat.

“This time of year, we may be providing that ration at 6 or 6:30 in the evening so we can push back that digestive heat load into the cooler hours of the night,” Tarpoff said. “That can make a big impact on how much these animals deal with during the heat of the day.”

Producers should also try to avoid lower quality straw hay or other foods that are fibrous, which create more heat in the animal’s rumen. Feedlot rations and lush green grass are better options for helping animals control digestive heat, Tarpoff said.

In feedlots or other confined settings, producers should provide plenty of water and shade (if available), and use sprinklers to cool pen floors. Tarpoff said they also should minimize handling of animals because the more they have to move, the more heat they produce.

The Kansas Mesonet Network at Kansas State University maintains a Cattle Comfort Index that combines the effect of temperature, humidity, wind and solar radiation. Tarpoff said it’s an excellent online source for producers to monitor when making plans for heat and potential nighttime cooling.

The Cattle Comfort Index is available online at https://mesonet.k-state.edu/agriculture/animal.

Alicia Boor is an Agriculture and Natural Resources agent in the Cottonwood District (which includes Barton and Ellis counties) for K-State Research and Extension. You can contact her by e-mail at [email protected] or calling 620-793-1910