Armadillos Invade New Parts of the U.S.

Nine-banded armadillos are expanding into areas of the United States where they have never lived before. The animals have been spotted in South Carolina and Illinois, and experts predict that they may someday be seen around Washington D.C. or New Jersey! Why are the animals moving northward?

Colleen McDonough, a biologist at Georgia’s Valdosta State University, says armadillos have been moving north for a variety of reasons, including changes in land use and fewer predators, and not necessarily due to climate change. “Because this movement has been consistent over the years, I think it is a continuation [of a longer-term trend] and not directly the result of recent climate change,” she says.

Whatever the reason, these adaptable animals may be coming soon to a neighborhood near you!

Read more about the armadillo expansion on National Geographic News.

Play Armadillo Alley on National Geographic Kids.

Photograph by Bianca Lavies, National Geographic