The only armadillo in North America — a small mammal in a leathery shell of bony plates. Famous for their odd habit of giving birth to four genetically identical quadruplets per litter.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The nine-banded armadillo, also called the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo or common armadillo, is a species of armadillo native to South America. The Mexican long-nosed armadillo of North America was formerly treated as a subspecies of the nine-banded armadillo.
Source: Wikipedia — Nine-banded armadillo Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Distinctive bony plate-armored mammal; pinkish-brown body; bald scaly tail.
Similar species. Other armadillo species (none in US).
Voice. Grunts; squeals.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Insects, larvae, ants, termites, occasional small vertebrates.
Behavior. Only armadillo species in North America. Range has expanded rapidly northward in the past 100 years. Always gives birth to genetically identical quadruplets.
§ Range
Southern US (Texas to Florida, expanding north), Mexico, Central/South America
§ Habitat
Diverse: forests, grasslands, suburbs
§ Threats
Vehicle strikes (one of the most common roadkill mammals in the south), leprosy spread (they're a rare wildlife host), persecution.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the nine-banded armadillo is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Drive slowly on rural southern roads at dusk. Don't handle wild armadillos. Tolerate occasional yard digging.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Nine-banded armadillo
- www.nwf.org — authoritative profile of Dasypus novemcinctus
- IUCN Red List · taxon 6290
- iNaturalist · taxon 41462
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Dasypus novemcinctus
§ Sources cited
- American Society of Mammalogists
- National Park Service
- IUCN Red List 2014
