(INDIANAPOLIS) - Armadillo sightings are continuing to rise across Indiana, with state officials now confirming a resident population in central and southern parts of the state.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources says there have been more than 230 confirmed armadillo reports since 2000, and about 90 percent of those have come in just the past five years.
The nine-banded armadillo is the only species found in Indiana and the only armadillo species living in the United States.
The highest concentration of reports continues to come from southwest Indiana, where sightings have become much more common, while scattered confirmed reports have also been logged farther north in recent years.
Wildlife officials say the northward spread is still limited because armadillos are highly vulnerable to hypothermia and prolonged freezing temperatures.
The DNR says the current population is not expected to negatively affect Indiana's existing wildlife populations.