Armadillos are becoming a more common sight across Kentucky, and the Barren River region is no exception.

Wayne Tamminga, a public lands biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, said armadillos have been seen more frequently in Kentucky in the past few years.

Recent years of warmer weather could have something to do with their spread north from warmer climates, he said. “In the summer, they travel north a little and then the winter knocks them back,” he said.

While armadillos might be an unexpected sight in Kentucky, they don’t appear to be doing any harm, Tamminga said.

“I’ve never heard of them causing any problems,” he said. “I’ve never heard a complaint against one.”

Joanna Coles, Warren County extension agent for agriculture and natural resources, said she also hasn’t heard any complaints about armadillos.

“People have called just to say it’s weird,” she said.

The animal has been known to pose problems in states farther south where armadillo populations are larger and can damage crops while digging for grubs, Coles said.

“Some of my co-workers in the south say that if their numbers are big enough, they can really tear up some ground,” she said. “They are a nuisance in some of the southern states where they have a larger population.”

Joe Plunk, chief district engineer of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 3, said armadillos shouldn’t pose any danger to motorists.

“I’m sure there are more dogs and cats and squirrels getting hit on the roads than armadillos, so I don’t think more armadillos is going to be that big of an issue,” he said.

A Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources fact sheet said armadillos first appeared in the state around 30 years ago.

“If you encounter an armadillo, just leave it alone. They really don’t bite – they only have eight tiny peg teeth – but they can seriously scratch a person with their long digging claws,” the fact sheet said. “The nine-banded armadillo can carry leprosy and may, in rare cases, transit the disease to humans that handle or eat them.

“A startled armadillo will jump straight up in the air. This is why a car trying to straddle an armadillo on the highway will kill it. Although these animals may damage turtle nests, they are not a particular threat to wildlife or domestic animals.”

– Follow reporter Jackson French on Twitter @Jackson_French or visit bgdailynews.com.