One of the cool things about armadillos (and cattle egrets) is that they are both historic natural migrants into the US and their spread across the US well documented. Some folks claim they are not indigenous, hence not natural. Given that their northward migration has been natural, they are simply recently indigenous. Intentionally imported exotic animals are not considered indigenous.
Armadillos apparently came into the US around 1900 and their distribution in Texas was first documented in 1905 (Vernon Bailey) and there have been several subsequent studies showing their expansion into the US every few years.
|