Evening star., 1952-09-05
Armodi!Ios Spread East
Across Southern u. S.
Shelled Beost Reported Moving
From Texas to Atlantic Coust
By Thomos R. Henry

0y inomoS 4. nenTy
Eastward and northward moves that
strange. armored. burrowing. toothless
rat-the armadillo.
Since 1925 this most curious Of Ameri-
can mammals has spread from a narrow
habitat around the Pecos River in
Texas through Louisiana, Alabama and
Mississippi and promises to sweep on
ward to the Atlantic Coast of Florida.
Already. according to q report to the
American Journal of Mammology, off,
cial journal of the American Associa-
ton Of Mammologists, by DR.. Henry s.
Fitch OF the University Of Kansas, It
has become IAN aggressive new mem
Der Of the fauna Of Eastern Texas and
louisiana" It has crossed the Missis-
sippi. which was the greatest hurdle in
Its road. It already has appeared in
Florida. probably due to pets, which
escaped from their owners.
Creature Of the Tropics.
Normally this shelled mammal, close
relative Of the South American ant
eater and representative of a very an
cient line In mammalian evolution, is
a creature Of the tropics. The North
American representative Of the family,
the nine-banded armadillo. gradually
moved northward into Texas through
Central America. Just how far north
1t can come Is problem. 1t becomes
sluggish on the mildly cold winter DAYS
IN the Gulf States and probably could
not survive severe cold, but it may
adapt itself slowly to a. changed en-.
vironment.
The present armadillo migration. DR..
Fitch believes. has been made possible
by man. Its chief enemies-the red
wolf. coyote. black bear and bobcat-are
rapidly being eliminated and the arma-
dillo Is moving into the vacuum-espe-
cially where forests have been cut down.
It Is shy. secluded and supposedly
quite stupid animal. It's favorite habi-
tats. especially in the Gulf States. ap-
pear to be river banks, especially where
there is tangle of roots from food
undermined trees. It digs burrows deep
into these banks.
A Night Forager. s.
1t usually forages at night and sleeps
IN its burrow through the morning. Oc-
casionally 1t is seen abroad in the late
afternoon. even on days Of mild frost.
Ordinarily 1t walks with a slow.
shutting gait but can outrun a man
when frightened. It may not be quite
as stupid as it is generally supposed, for
DR.. Fitch cites evidence that It can hear
human footsteps a hundred feet away.
1t also can smell for some distance and
Is quick to take flight.
1t may introduce new problems into
the territory 1t invades. The creatures
chief food consists of the grubs of beetles.
put 1t also eats quail eggs and may even
invade chicken houses. It also some.
tunes preys on rats and small toads
On the whole, however, the armadillo
promises to be a not unwelcome visitor,
unless 1t becomes too numerous.
+
Laboratory in the Clouds.
A laboratory in the clouds is to be
maintained for American scientists.
An agreement has just been concluded
between the National Science Founda-
ton. the Office of Naval Research and
the Rockefeller Foundation for such a
laboratory, open to all qualified scien-
lists, on the White Mountain range near
the California Nevada border. a,rgos
It Is expected to become one Of the
leading high-altitude research labora-
tories in the world. -
The establishment now is in operation
under the direction of the University Of
California which maintains the facilities.
Peak 1926 Feet High.
Those at White Mountain available
to scientists include one center at
10,500 feet and another at 12,500 feet.
In addition, limited experimentation
may be carried on up to heights Of
1926 feet. the peak Of White Noun
tain itself. This point is readily ac-
cessible at q distance Of 3 miles from
the upper laboratory.
Living quarters and laboratory space
are available at the 10.500 and 12,500
levels. A colony Of small laboratory
animals is being maintained at
the 10,500-foot level. The laboratory
grounds cover approximately 20 acres
within the confines of the Inyo Ma
tional Forest. It was acquired in 1850
by the Office Of Naval Research-now
probably the foremost organization in
the country fostering scientific research.
The problems are innumerable-rang
ing from the behavior Of cosmic rays
at medium attitudes to the physiology
Of animals and the behavior Of range
grasses.