Editing Armadillo (section)

==Distribution==
Like all of the Xenarthra lineages, armadillos originated in [[South America]]. Due to the continent's former isolation, they were confined there for most of the [[Cenozoic]]. The recent formation of the [[Isthmus of Panama]] allowed a few members of the family to migrate northward into southern [[North America]] by the early [[Pleistocene]], as part of the [[Great American Interchange]].<ref name="Woodburne2010"/> (Some of their much larger [[Cingulata|cingulate]] relatives, the [[pampathere]]s and chlamyphorid [[glyptodont]]s, made the same journey.)<ref name="Woodburne2010"/>

Today, all extant armadillo species are still present in South America. They are particularly diverse in [[Paraguay]] (where 11 species exist) and surrounding areas. Many species are endangered. Some, including four species of ''[[Dasypus]]'', are widely distributed over the Americas, whereas others, such as [[Yepes's mulita]], are restricted to small ranges. Two species, the [[northern naked-tailed armadillo]] and [[nine-banded armadillo]], are found in Central America; the latter has also reached the United States, primarily in the south-central states (notably Texas), but with a range that extends as far east as [[North Carolina]] and [[Florida]], and as far north as southern [[Nebraska]] and southern [[Indiana]].<ref name=ExpRange/> Their range has consistently expanded in North America over the last century due to a lack of natural predators. Armadillos are increasingly documented in southern [[Illinois]] and are tracking northwards due to [[climate change]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Armadillos have arrived in downstate Illinois and are heading north — yes, you might someday see an armadillo in your backyard |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-armadillos-arrive-illinois-20220504-hhzv7szssbfotkegaxb442xu2m-story.html |access-date=2022-05-17 |website=Chicago Tribune |date=14 May 2022 |language=en |archive-date=17 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517155535/https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-armadillos-arrive-illinois-20220504-hhzv7szssbfotkegaxb442xu2m-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>