Nine-banded armadillo reaches Ohio, likely a first natural arrival

A nine-banded armadillo found dead in an Ohio backyard is believed to be the first documented natural occurrence of the species in the state, according to a biologist studying the animal.

The specimen came to light through an anonymous Facebook post in which someone asked for help retrieving a dead armadillo from their yard. Tereza Jezkova, an associate professor of biology at Miami University, said she saw the post and went to collect the animal immediately.

Armadillos had not reached North America until the nine-banded species crossed the Rio Grande in the 1800s. It is unclear whether that crossing was natural or aided by humans, but the animal has been dispersing northwards since, with its range expanding noticeably every few decades. The species, now referred to as the Mexican longnose armadillo after a recent name change, prefers tropical conditions of heat and warm moisture.

Jezkova said she had been checking roads for the animals since moving to Miami nine years ago, when the closest record was in southwestern Indiana. Over those nine years, the species moved across Indiana and Kentucky.

Earlier records exist for Ohio, including one near Columbus from several years ago and another in Cleveland, as well as one in Minnesota. Those animals are thought to have been moved by people rather than arriving on their own, since armadillos burrow and hide and often climb into trailers or trucks, falling out far from where they boarded.

The newly found animal, a male, will have tissue samples taken for genome sequencing. Because it was found so far north, researchers expect it to show signs of adaptation to cold climates, and they plan to compare it with specimens from Texas to look for signatures of selection.

On health concerns, Jezkova said armadillos do carry leprosy but that transmission is difficult and documented cases have been confined to South Florida and Texas. A collaborator in southern Illinois who has processed dozens of northern armadillos has not found a single case of leprosy.

She added that the expanding animals are not causing problems and instead benefit soil by burrowing and aerating it, provide shelter for other animals, and eat insects and invertebrates, which tends to please farmers.

Armadillos appear to have dispersed north during every interglacial period over the past two million years, roughly every 100,000 years, though it is unknown whether they ever reached Ohio before.