olena
<font color=green>Emerald Angel<br><font color=mag
- Joined
- May 12, 2001
State Small Mammal
Nine-banded Armadillo
Dasypus novemcinctus
Description The only North American mammal armored with heavy, bony plates. Scaly-looking plates cover head, body, and tail. Body has wide front and back plates; midsection has 9 (sometimes fewer) narrow, jointed armor bands that permit body to curl. Head small. Underparts and upright ears soft. Sparsely haired body is brown, tan, or sometimes yellowish; depending on where it burrows, may be stained dark, even black, by earth or mud. Teeth are simple pegs. L 2432" (61.580 cm); T 9 5/814 1/2" (24.537 cm); HF 33 7/8" (7.510 cm); Wt 817 lb (3.67.7 kg).
Breeding Mates in summer; after delay of 14 weeks, embryo is implanted in uterine wall in November. Single egg divides into 4 identical quadruplets, born in March, each weighing 3 oz (85 g). 1 litter per year.
Habitat Often determined by quality of soil for burrowing: favors areas with soft soil and rotting wood, and abundant in sandy soils; less common in clay, where digging is more difficult. Locally abundant in areas with shallow soils and rocky substrates (limestone) in the Edwards Plateau in c Texas.
Range Texas, Oklahoma, and se Kansas southeastward to s Georgia and most of Florida.
Discussion The Spanish conquistadores first encountered this strange creature and named it "little man in armor." Around the turn of the century, the Nine-banded Armadillo occurred in the U.S. only in semi-arid areas of southern Texas. It was introduced into Arkansas and Florida, and has expanded its range throughout much of the Southeast. It spends most of its active hours digging for food and building burrows, snuffling almost constantly. For such a clumsy-looking animal, the armadillo is surprisingly swift. It can swim short distances, gulping air to inflate its intestines for increased buoyancy, and can cross small streams or ponds by walking underwater on the bottom. The armadillo is primarily nocturnal during hot weather and diurnal during cooler weather. It does not hibernate and cannot survive prolonged below-freezing weather. The Nine-banded Armadillo goes about its business with a steady, stiff-legged jog. When approached, it escapes by running away or curling its body to protect its vulnerable belly; it can also burrow underground with amazing speed. When startled it may jump vertically and erratically, then run. This animal produces several grunts, and other low-volume sounds that appear to derive from breathing or sniffing. It will sometimes stand nearly upright, supported mainly by its tail, to sniff the air for danger or food. It roots and searches rotting logs for insects and snuffs about in vegetation for ants and invertebrates. It also eats crayfish, amphibians, reptile and bird eggs, and carrion. Armadillos sleep in nests placed underground, in a crevice, or on the ground. Underground burrows may be up to 3 feet (1 m) in depth, with one or more entrance tunnels. Dens of several adults may be clumped together, and one adult may have more than one den. Armadillos sometimes construct very short burrows without nests, probably as escape routes. Breeding burrows contain a nest of leaves or grass. Armadillo embryos are often used in experiments requiring identical animals. Well formed at birth and with eyes open, newborns can walk about within hours; their skin is soft during infancy and slowly hardens. The young resemble miniature piglets as they trail after their mother. The Nine-banded Armadillo is hunted for its meat and its decorative shell. Armadillos can carry a form of Hansens disease (leprosy) and have been used extensively in research on the disease.
Nine-banded Armadillo
Dasypus novemcinctus
Description The only North American mammal armored with heavy, bony plates. Scaly-looking plates cover head, body, and tail. Body has wide front and back plates; midsection has 9 (sometimes fewer) narrow, jointed armor bands that permit body to curl. Head small. Underparts and upright ears soft. Sparsely haired body is brown, tan, or sometimes yellowish; depending on where it burrows, may be stained dark, even black, by earth or mud. Teeth are simple pegs. L 2432" (61.580 cm); T 9 5/814 1/2" (24.537 cm); HF 33 7/8" (7.510 cm); Wt 817 lb (3.67.7 kg).
Breeding Mates in summer; after delay of 14 weeks, embryo is implanted in uterine wall in November. Single egg divides into 4 identical quadruplets, born in March, each weighing 3 oz (85 g). 1 litter per year.
Habitat Often determined by quality of soil for burrowing: favors areas with soft soil and rotting wood, and abundant in sandy soils; less common in clay, where digging is more difficult. Locally abundant in areas with shallow soils and rocky substrates (limestone) in the Edwards Plateau in c Texas.
Range Texas, Oklahoma, and se Kansas southeastward to s Georgia and most of Florida.
Discussion The Spanish conquistadores first encountered this strange creature and named it "little man in armor." Around the turn of the century, the Nine-banded Armadillo occurred in the U.S. only in semi-arid areas of southern Texas. It was introduced into Arkansas and Florida, and has expanded its range throughout much of the Southeast. It spends most of its active hours digging for food and building burrows, snuffling almost constantly. For such a clumsy-looking animal, the armadillo is surprisingly swift. It can swim short distances, gulping air to inflate its intestines for increased buoyancy, and can cross small streams or ponds by walking underwater on the bottom. The armadillo is primarily nocturnal during hot weather and diurnal during cooler weather. It does not hibernate and cannot survive prolonged below-freezing weather. The Nine-banded Armadillo goes about its business with a steady, stiff-legged jog. When approached, it escapes by running away or curling its body to protect its vulnerable belly; it can also burrow underground with amazing speed. When startled it may jump vertically and erratically, then run. This animal produces several grunts, and other low-volume sounds that appear to derive from breathing or sniffing. It will sometimes stand nearly upright, supported mainly by its tail, to sniff the air for danger or food. It roots and searches rotting logs for insects and snuffs about in vegetation for ants and invertebrates. It also eats crayfish, amphibians, reptile and bird eggs, and carrion. Armadillos sleep in nests placed underground, in a crevice, or on the ground. Underground burrows may be up to 3 feet (1 m) in depth, with one or more entrance tunnels. Dens of several adults may be clumped together, and one adult may have more than one den. Armadillos sometimes construct very short burrows without nests, probably as escape routes. Breeding burrows contain a nest of leaves or grass. Armadillo embryos are often used in experiments requiring identical animals. Well formed at birth and with eyes open, newborns can walk about within hours; their skin is soft during infancy and slowly hardens. The young resemble miniature piglets as they trail after their mother. The Nine-banded Armadillo is hunted for its meat and its decorative shell. Armadillos can carry a form of Hansens disease (leprosy) and have been used extensively in research on the disease.