Recent Records and Range Expansion of Dasypus novemcinctus (Nine-banded Armadillo) in Virginia

Nancy D. Moncrief^1,*, Michael L. Fies², and Seth D. Thompson³

¹Virginia Museum of Natural History, 21 Starling Avenue, Martinsville, VA 24112. ²Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, PO Box 996, Verona, VA 24482. ³Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, 9416 Coeburn Mountain Road, Wise, VA 24293. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist,Volume 20, Issue 2 (2021): N73–N78

Abstract
The distributional range of Dasypus novemcinctus (Nine-banded Armadillo, hereafter Armadillo) has been expanding into the southern and midwestern United States since the mid-1800s. Here we document recent evidence of Armadillos in southwestern Virginia from verified photographs submitted to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources and voucher specimens deposited into the Mammal Collection of the Virginia Museum of Natural History. These recently collected and observed Armadillos are likely dispersers from expanding populations in eastern Kentucky and eastern Tennessee. This report provides a foundation for future investigations into the distribution and abundance of the Armadillo in Virginia.

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