The First Armadillo Has Made It to Ohio!

Mexican long-nosed armadillo loping across a field (photo from Wikimedia) 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. video embedded from WLWT on YouTube Note that armadillo articles older than 2024 call it the “nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)” but the species was split in June 2024. The “nine-banded” lives only in South America. Armadillos in Central and North America are officially the Mexican long-nosed armadillo (Dasypus mexicanus). Mexican long-nosed armadillo approaching and sniffing someone’s shoe (photos from Wikimedia) Their range map used to look like this: current in red, future is pink. I’ve…