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.
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 central Texas.
Range: Texas, Oklahoma, and southeast Kansas
southeastward to south 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.
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.
.
