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Re: Historic Brattonsville on 14 Nov 2001



Susan,

I first saw a road killed armadillo along I-26 in Orangeburg County about
five years ago. They are regularly seen in the Charleston suburbs, and are
downright common in the southern counties of Jasper, Hampton, and Colleton.
I think this species invaded South Carolina from Georgia about 15 years ago.
Check with John Cely at SCDNR.

(jcely@CLEMSON.EDU).

I saw my first armadillo as a kid in south Florida in the 1950's. The south
Florida armadillos are descended originally from escapes from a roadside zoo
in the 1930's. Then, in the 1960's the species started invading the state
from the west, along the Gulf Coast. Sometime about 1970 or so they met in
the Tallahassee area. Now the nine-banded armadillo is found from Arkansas,
central Alabama (the Auburn area), and South Carolina south to the tropics.
I bet they will be in the North Carolina Sandhills within 10 years, if they
are not already there. Armadillos just love sandhills habitats, as do
Greater Roadrunners. If the roadrunners ever get across the barrier of the
Mississippi River Alluvial Plain in Louisiana or Arkansas then no lizard
from Florida to North Carolina will ever be safe again.  Also roadrunners
are hell on wheels on hummingbirds at feeders. I have seen one take a
Black-chinned Hummingbird at the Patton's feeder in Arizona.

We won't even mention fire ants.

It is sorta cool to live in Columbia, where we have chipmunks and ground
hogs two hours' drive to the north, and armadillos and eastern diamondbacks
2 hours' drive to the south. It's always fun living in a transitional area,
such as the Fall Line area.

Cheers,
Robin

----- Original Message -----
From: "Susan Campbell" <ncaves@utinet.net>
To: "Robin Carter" <rcarter@sc.rr.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2001 10:19 AM
Subject: Re: Historic Brattonsville on 14 Nov 2001


> Hi--
>
> Speaking of out of range non-bird species, I was surprised to see a dead
> armadillo on the way to the sod farm at the Fall meeting in Santee.  I
> thought they were not found that far north in SC.  Am I wrong?
>
> Susan Campbell
> Whispering Pines, NC
>
>
>
>