They Found a WHAT, WHERE?

Apparently, nine-banded Armadillos have moved so far north that they are now common in Missouri and southern Illinois with one individual captured alive as far north as Peoria, They can also be found in all of the Gulf states, as well as Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, and Oklahoma.

Prior to about 1850, the nine-banded armadillo was not found north of the Rio Grande river, but since then it has expanded rapidly northward, traveling in rail cars with cattle and escaping from zoos and pet cages. Experts say there is reason to think the Nine-banded Armadillo may eventually come eastward to Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina (whoops --- already there!) and westward to California and the Pacific Northwest. Note that the map, below, is from 2010 and Armadillos are still spreading north and may have already colonized some of the pink area, such as North Carolina.