| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Edentata |
| Family: | Dasypodidae |
| Size: | Up to 32 inches (0.8 m) in length |
| Weight: | 8 to 15 lbs (3.6 to 6.8 kg) |
| Diet: | Insects, small birds and animals, carrion, roots and fruit |
| Distribution: | United States, Mexico, South America |
| Young: | Four identical offspring |
| Animal Predators: | Dogs, wild cats, maned wolf, black cayman, alligators |
| IUCN Status: | No special status |
| Terms: | Young: Pups |
| Lifespan: | 12 to 15 years |
· The name “armadillo” means “little armoured one” and originated from Spanish conquistadors.
· Nine-banded armadillo are the only mammals besides humans to suffer from lepromatid leprosy.
· Sloths and anteaters are the closest relatives of armadillos.
· The scientific name Dasypodis means—rabbit with a turtle shell; novem—nine; cinctus—band.
· All armadillos have teeth, but the teeth have no enamel and aren’t used much.
· There are twenty species of armadillos today—the smallest is called the pink fairy armadillo.
· The nine-banded armadillo was proclaimed the official “small mammal” of Texas on October 3, 1981.
The nine-banded armadillo has bands of hard armour covering its body on the top, back and sides, with bits of hair protruding through the bands. The head is covered by an additional piece of armour. Even though it is called nine-banded, this type of armadillo may have as many as eleven or as few as seven bands. It has a ringed tail and a pointy snout. Males are usually slightly larger than females.
All armadillos originated in South America, and they still live almost throughout the entire continent, as well as on the islands of Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago. Although armadillos lived in North America five to ten thousand years ago, they became extinct for unknown reasons. In the mid-nineteenth century, nine-banded armadillos began to move northwards again, and now inhabit Mexico and several states including Oklahoma, Missouri, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. As well, they have been introduced to Florida because of their predation on harmful insects. The current armadillo population in the United States is estimated at between 30 to 50 million. Territories of several individual armadillos may overlap, as they are not territorial and tend to live peacefully amongst one another. They dig burrows to live in and several armadillos of the same gender, or a mating male and female, may inhabit the same burrow.
Nine-banded armadillos eat mostly insects (an individual can eat more than 40,000 ants at one sitting), but also includes small birds and animals, carrion, roots and fruit. Their long, sticky tongues and strong claws enable them to dig up ant nests and slurp up the insects scurrying about inside.
Armadillos are the only mammals that always give birth to four identical young—same gender quadruplets that grow from the same egg. The pups are born with soft shells that gradually get harder as they grow. Female armadillos can delay implantation and may give birth up to two years after mating, but the gestation period is approximately four months. The young are born with their eyes open and are able to walk within hours of their birth. In a few weeks, they begin to follow their mother while she roots for food. The pups nurse for approximately two months, and stay with their mother for several more months after being weaned, until the mother is ready to give birth to another litter.
Despite the popular belief that armadillos curl up into balls when threatened, there is only one species—the three-banded armadillo—that can actually curl into a ball. Nine-banded armadillos, also known as long-nosed armadillos, curl up as much as they can but their shells have too many bands to be able to curl up entirely. As well, their shell is fairly thin and can be bitten through by most predators, so nine-banded armadillos need to run when approached by a predator. They hide in brush or dive into a burrow, or if water is nearby, they will try to swim to safety. Strong surface swimmers, they can also walk underwater along the bottom of a river for a good distance. All armadillos need warm temperatures to survive because they have low metabolisms and no way to store fat, and must eat on a daily basis. They are believed to be nocturnal during the summer when the days are hot, but in winter, they soak up heat from the sun during the day in order to keep warm. When approached by humans, they do not get particularly alarmed and have even been known to brush up against people’s legs. In captivity, they are easily tamed.
Nine-banded armadillos are the most widespread of the armadillo species and are not of conservation concern at this time.
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/
http://www.thebigzoo.com/Animals/Nine-Banded_Armadillo.asp
http://www.geobop.com/World/NA/US/TX/Mammal2.htm
http://www.armadillo-research.com/predators.html
Nine-banded
Armadillo Wildlife Fact File, IM Pub, USA