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- Armadillos, with their shells and long snouts, are often found waddling through the Texas desert. But recently these warm weather creatures started making a home for themselves in the Midwest and during the colder parts of the year, too.
- Armadillos have been traveling up rivers and streams to the Midwest in recent years, and thousands of them are being spotted year-round as far north as Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois.
- "We're puzzled because we were not expecting to find them this far north in the winter," Dr. Agustin Jiménez, an associate professor of biological sciences at Southern Illinois University, told AccuWeather's, Emmy Victor.
- A couple in Illinois sent a video to AccuWeather of an armadillo in their backyard over the winter, and just two weeks later another armadillo was sighted in Illinois. Several studies have pointed to climate change and warming winters for this change.
- Armadillos have also been spotted outside the Midwest, including in Virginia and North Carolina, where officials are asking the public to report any sightings they may see in those states.
- By reporting sightings, it will help officials monitor and understand the animals' new expanded territories. Armadillos are not aggressive, but they can pose a disease risk because they can carry leprosy.
- For now, armadillos haven’t been spotted in the Chicago area, but don’t be surprised if they eventually make it there. They’ve already been spotted in Wisconsin.
- So if you think you have seen an armadillo you're not crazy, and be sure to report it.