For years the slug was the signature animal of this weekly journey through time.
As of today my favorite non-human is the armadillo, in concession to global warming, as well as because the armored creature is a survivor, having been around since early in the Cenozoic Period — and, folks, that’s a mighty long time ago, even before Alley Oop.
Regardless what Trump’s nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Oklahoma AG Scott Pruitt, professes, scientific evidence leaves no doubt global warming has been with us since the industrial age began. It’s indisputable that greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere hinder natural filters that suppress heat from the sun.
For example, 2016 was the hottest year by 1.69 degrees since record-keeping began in 1880. Also, 16 of the hottest years on record have occurred consecutively since 2000.
Annual analysis comes from observations made year-round at 6,300 ground-based weather stations, untold numbers of ocean buoys and research facilities in Antarctica. Melting of permafrost and ice at the poles give more evidence.
Armadillos sprang up millions of years ago in South America and moved northward after the Isthmus of Panama formed.
Up until about 45 years ago, finding one in Allen County was an event. I recall someone reported an armadillo lying dead along the blacktop running south of LaHarpe. We all figured it had been carried here from Texas and dropped off as a joke.
Then, every now and again, a report of one would filter in.
In the last 20 years they’ve become fairly common. A number of times on trips around Kansas I’ve noticed more armadillo cadavers than any other species. Friday morning a carcass was on South State Street.
Except for an occasional blip winters have been milder than those of my age remember from years ago. Not as much snow nowadays, and not so many temperatures in single digits or below zero have occurred, particularly over any sustained period — of which I’m delighted. It should be noted such things as climate change occur over many, many years and one or two, going either way, isn’t a trend. A tipping point, though, is the increase of storm severity, mostly caused by ocean waters warming.
Reports I’ve read propose armadillos’ migration beyond Texas and the Southwest is because of fewer predators in those ranges, leading to larger populations pushing them north and east. Perhaps, but I think climate warming is a big factor.
Armadillos dine on anything that crawls or imbeds itself in dig, which means they can find victuals aplenty wherever they are. However, they surely recognize it’s easier to dig from warm ground than frozen.
No, dear readers, migration of this holdover from prehistoric times can be pinned on climate change.
To my way of thinking, the armadillo is the poster child for global warming.
