Armadillo, Nine-Banded

Physical Features

Armadillos were christened by Spanish Explorers who described their shell as being similar to that of a knight's armor. Their name translates from Spanish as “the armored one”. Armadillos are brownish-grey in color and they have a hard, thick shell and leathery skin covering their body. Although they are called the nine-banded armadillo, their shell can be made up of anything between 7 – 11 bands of bone that circle its middle and provide it with protection. These bony plates are known as scutes and the armadillo is the only mammal that has such bone plates in its skin. These calcified bands provide the banded armadillo with flexibility but contribute to a sixth of its body weight. It is widely believed that the banded armadillo curls up as a means of protection, but this is a misconception since the bony plates actually prevent this from being possible. There is evidence from ancient fossilized scutes found in South America that are over 50 million years old that suggest armadillos have been around for millions of years. An adult nine-banded armadillo is the size of an average housecat and their body ranges from 15 – 20 inches in length while they weigh between 6 – 15 pounds and have a long 10 – 16 inch tail. They have short, strong legs with sharp claws well suited for digging. The female has a 2½-month gestation period but she has the ability to delay implantation of the fertilized egg during times of stress. The nine-banded armadillo is unique in that the female always gives birth to identical quadruplets of the same sex. This is due to the fact that they all form from the same egg and share the same placenta during development. This is known as polyembryony and this feature makes armadillos valuable to medical research. Female have 4 teats that allow them to suckle each of their young simultaneously. Both male and female armadillos mature at six months and they have a life expectancy of 5 – 10 years in the wild.

Habitat

Armadillo's prefer a forest habitat, near marshy regions, but they can live anywhere that is warm enough and supplies bugs to eat. The nine-banded armadillo is the most widespread of the armadillos and is found in North, Central, and South America. It's the only resident armadillo in the US and is most common in the central southernmost states, particularly Texas. Their range is as far east as South Carolina and Florida and as far north as Nebraska. They are consistently expanding their range due to a lack of natural predators and are found as far north as southern Illinois and Indiana. It's unlikely that they will increase their range further north due to their inability to withstand extremely cold weather.

Diet

The nine-banded armadillo is insectivorous and primarily seeks out ants, termites and small invertebrates, but also eats vegetation such as leaves, fruits and roots and it's not uncommon to find them feeding on carcasses. Armadillos have few teeth, in the form of peg-like molars that are not covered in enamel. They rely on their long sticky tongue to slurp-up bugs and they use their strong claws to break-open nests. Their long nose assists in burrowing deep to access insects. Due to their low metabolic rates it's vital for them to eat daily in order to stay alive.

Meat

In parts of Central and South America armadillo meat forms part of an average diet. During the Depression in the 1930s when President Herbert Hoover's broke his promise of “a chicken in every pot”, hungry people resorted to eating armadillo meat, which became known as “Hoover Hogs”. Armadillo meat is said to taste like fine-grained, high-quality pork. Armadillos are also killed to make souvenir items such as lamps, baskets, ashtrays, purses and a musical instrument called the charango.

Behavior

Nine-banded armadillo are solitary nocturnal mammals that dig extensive burrows. They have poor eyesight, but sharp sense of smell and hearing. Armadillos make grunting sounds as they feed. They may squeak or squeal when they feel threatened and they are capable of jumping into the air to fend-off predators in addition to producing a musky offensive odor that assists in defense. Although they are warm-blooded, armadillos have one of the lowest metabolic rates for mammals and as a result they don't produce much body heat. Even short periods of exposure to intense cold will kill them since they don't store any body fat and they are unable to adapt to cold temperatures. Their low body temperatures, makes them excellent hosts for leprosy. Regardless of their heavy shell, armadillos are competent swimmers and regularly enter water. They gulp air into their intestines and they are able to hold their breath for up to 6 minutes, which helps to make them more buoyant.

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