23 September 2026
Three years ago, in April 2023, I wrote that Armadillos Are On Their Way to Pennsylvania. Since arriving in Texas in 1849 they’ve expanded their range north and east in the U.S. nearly ten times faster than the average rate expected for a mammal. In 2023 they were two states away in Indiana. Not anymore! The first documented naturally occurring armadillo was found as roadkill near Oxford, Ohio.
If you’ve been following armadillos in the U.S. you’ll notice that their official name has changed and is no longer the “nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus).” In June 2024 the species was split into the “nine-banded” who lives only in South America and the Mexican long-nosed armadillo (Dasypus mexicanus) who lives in Central and North America. No matter what they’re called they do have long noses. 😉
The armadillo range map looked like this twenty years ago: 2006 in red, >2006 is pink. Today’s news is marked with a circled asterisk at Oxford, Ohio .
In fact, armadillos have outpaced our predictions. This January 2025 USGS map of documented armadillo occurrences shows they’re (unexpectedly!) in Iowa.
What about those dots in Ohio in January 2025? Those animals are believed to have been hitchhikers on vehicles. This month’s first naturally occurring armadillo probably walked east from Indiana, based on their current range in that state.
Read more about armadillo range expansion in this 2023 article (which uses the old species name).
p.s. Armadillos don’t move west because they need three things the west doesn’t have: moisture, forest and leaf litter.
Like we don’t have enough dealing with deer, groundhogs, skunks, and rabbits wrecking havoc in our gardens. Oh well, we survived gypsy moths, stink bugs, and lantern flies. Bring it on, Mother Nature!
I for one welcome them