Nine-Banded Armadillo

I saw an Armadillo at the Prairie Garden Trust today for the first time. That is first record of one on the property since we moved here in 1970.

What should I do with it? Is it to be treated as an invasive exotic or is it a naturally occurring mammal? Is it a pest or a new and unusual animal?

According to “The Wild Mammals of Missouri” there had been only 9 records Nine-Banded Armadillo in Missouri since 1947. The trouble is that book was published in 1959.

According to the Missouri Department of Conservations website today they occur primarily in the southern half of the state and “The population density in Missouri is low and further expansion is unlikely, as armadillos are limited by extreme cold. They do not hibernate, and they are not adapted for finding food when snow and ice prevent access to the insects and other invertebrates they eat.”

Click on the image to see more detail of my iPhone snapshot.