Not to kick a dead armadillo here, but D. novemcinctus Mexicanus is the 9-banded armadillo that we have in the USA. Mexicanus is one of 6 recognized subspecies of 9-banded armadillos. To wit, re-read the Wikipedia source to see that (Mexicanus) "....has been rapidly expanding its range both north and east within the United States. The armadillo crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico prior to the 20th century; by 1995 the species had become well-established in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, and had been sighted as far afield as Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina. A decade later, the armadillo had become established in all of those areas and continued its migration, being sighted as far north as southern Nebraska, southern Illinois, and southern Indiana.[3]"

I have had the pleasure of a long relationship with this animal, through various aspects of its unique physiologic adapations to its environment, and the obvious value as a laboratory animal for the study of spontaneous disease. Long live the armadillo, as long as it stays out of my pastures!