States Wildlife
Menu

Are there armadillos in Indiana?

Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.

On this page
  1. The answer
  2. More official answers
  3. Which ones
  4. Where in the US
  5. Official advice
  6. Sources

Yes.

DNR: nine-banded armadillos can be found year-round across the southern half of the state; reports as far north as Porter County.

Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife: “Recent observations of live and roadkill armadillos indicate this species can be found year-round across the southern half of the State. Reports of armadillo have been received as far north as Porter County.” Source

How we answer questions

On Indiana's official list

Nine-banded armadillo
Photo: MartinKlippel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized

Nine-banded armadillo

Dasypus novemcinctus

Size
Cat-sized: 15-17 in long not counting the tail, 8-17 lb (FWC); 24-32 in including a 9.5-14.5 in tail (UGA).
How to recognize it
  • Bony skin plates that form a shell, which make it easy to identify
  • Long scaly tail, deer-like ears, long pig-like snout
  • Tail encased in 12 bony rings; no canine or incisor teeth
Where in Indiana
Recent observations of live and roadkill armadillos indicate this species can be found year-round across the southern half of the State. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife

Full Nine-banded armadillo guide

All mammals in the state: Indiana mammals.

Where the nine-banded armadillo lives in the US

Texas: on the state's official listKentucky: on the state's official listGeorgia: on the state's official list (nonnative)Missouri: on the state's official listVirginia: on the state's official list (nonnative)Tennessee: on the state's official listLouisiana: on the state's official listFlorida: on the state's official list (nonnative)Illinois: on the state's official list (nonnative)Iowa: on the state's official listNebraska: on the state's official listArkansas: on the state's official listMississippi: on the state's official listNorth Carolina: on the state's official list (nonnative)Oklahoma: on the state's official listIndiana: on the state's official listSouth Carolina: on the state's official listNew Mexico: on an official sourceAlabama: on the state's official listKansas: on the state's official list
Official presence. 20 states where a state list or official source names it. Gray means no official record in our data, not that it is absent.
  • Native or listed
  • Nonnative or not established
  • No official record in our data
Texas: 6 recordsTennessee: 4 recordsLouisiana: 2 recordsNew York: 1 recordFlorida: 6 recordsArkansas: 2 recordsMississippi: 1 recordSouth Carolina: 2 recordsKansas: 3 records
Observation records. Open-licence records on GBIF in 9 states. Records are sightings people shared, not confirmation that a population lives there.
  • 1–9
  • 10–99
  • 100–999
  • 1,000+

Nine-banded armadillo: identification, range and danger

When mammals are seen in Indiana

2,357 records (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY).

What official sources advise

Other questions about Indiana

Sources

  1. Nine-banded Armadillo. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife. dateModified 2026-03-09; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (2)
    “Recent observations of live and roadkill armadillos indicate this species can be found year-round across the southern half of the State. Reports of armadillo have been received as far north as Porter County.”
    “Armadillos can be active year-round if the ground doesn't freeze solid during winter.”
  2. Mammals List. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife. page states "Revised September 2021"; checked November 3, 2026.
  3. Black Bear. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife. dateModified 2026-04-01; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “In recent years, four black bears have been confirmed (2015, 2016, 2018, 2021) in Indiana.”
  4. Mountain Lion. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife. dateModified 2026-03-09; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “Indiana has no breeding population of mountain lions.”
  5. GBIF.org occurrence records, human observations licensed CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0 only, accessed November 3, 2026. The datasets behind these counts are listed on our Sources page.