Sure, there are all sorts of downsides to climate change. But free armadillos aren't one of them!



Warm-weather species are headed north, and "according to a recent study, armadillos could move north into Virgina (sic) and across the entire Mid-Atlantic region," according to local blog The Green Miles.



A map of the armadillos' "projected range" at DailyClimate.org shows the scaly critters are due to infiltrate a range from North Carolina to Rhode Island along the Eastern Seaboard -- and that means we should see them in the DMV area at some point in the future.



According to DailyClimate.org:

Armadillos are a welcome help to residents dealing with fire ants, a big concern in the South, [Colleen] McDonough [a biology professor at Valdosta State University in Georgia] said. But they're also a nest predator and could put added pressure on local quail populations already trying to defend against possums, raccoons and snakes.



Myers' research in Michigan, meanwhile, suggests southern species are replacing northern ones, rather than simply slotting into the local fauna.



..."Basically all we can do is ... sit back and measure the change as it happens, whether we like it or not."

Nothing at all? Not even reduce our ecological footprints or curb carbon emissions? Well, in that case, we, for one, welcome our new armadillo overlords.

And maybe we'll get lucky and they'll eat all the stinkbugs.