Nine-banded Armadillo - Dasypus novemcinctus
Florida's Nonnative Wildlife. Species detail.
This native of southwestern North America has
expanded its range into Florida but one or more introductions of
armadillos also occurred along the east coast of Florida as early
as the 1920s and in southern Alabama in the 1960s . Animals from
these various introductions, as well as those naturally expanding
from western populations, merged in the Panhandle in the late 1970s
or early 1980s, and they now occur throughout the state. Armadillos
can be a nuisance to homeowners when they dig up lawns looking for
food. They also carry diseases such as St. Louis encephalitis,
leptospires, arboviruses, and leprosy.
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Nonnative Mammals
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