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Nine-banded Armadillo
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Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Eutheria
Superorder: Xenarthra
 
Order:
Illiger, 1811


 

×? Pampatheriidae (prehistoric)
×?  lyptodontidae (prehistoric)
×? u

c
 are small placental mammals, known for having a leathery armor
shell. u
is the only surviving family in the order  , part of the
superorder Xenarthra along with the anteaters and sloths. The word Ê
Ê is
Spanish for "little armored one".
There are approximately ten extant genera and around 20 extant species of
armadillo, some of which are distinguished by the number of bands on their armor.
Their average length is about 75 centimetres (30 in), including tail; the iant
Armadillo grows up to 150 centimetres (59 in) and weighs up to 59 kilograms (130
lb), while the Pink Fairy Armadillos are diminutive species with an overall length
of 12 to 15 centimetres (5 to 6 in). All species are native to the Americas, where
they inhabit a variety of environments.

In the United States, the sole resident armadillo is the Nine-banded Armadillo
0 Ê 

 , which 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 have been consistently expanding their range
over the last century due to a lack of natural predators and have been found as far
north as southern Illinois and Indiana.[1]




Armadillos are prolific diggers with sharp claws. Many species use their sharp
claws to dig for food, such as grubs, and to dig dens. The Nine-banded Armadillo
prefers to build burrows in moist soil near the creeks, streams, and arroyos around
which it lives and feeds. The diet of different armadillo species varies, but consists
mainly of insects, grubs, and other invertebrates. Some species, however, feed
almost entirely on ants and termites.

In common with other xenarthrans, armadillos in general have low body

temperatures (33±36 °C) and basal metabolic rates (from 40±60% of that expected
in a placental mammal of their mass). This is particularly true of types that
specialize on using termites as their primary food source (e.g., u   and
  ).[2]

Armadillos have poor vision, but large eyes.

The armor is formed by plates of dermal bone covered in relatively small,

overlapping epidermal scales called "scutes", composed of bone with a covering of
horn. In most species, there are rigid shields over the shoulders and hips, with a
number of bands separated by flexible skin covering the back and flanks.
Additional armor covers the top of the head, the upper parts of the limbs, and the
tail. The underside of the animal is never armored, and is simply covered with soft
skin and fur.[3]

This armor-like skin appears to be the main defense of many armadillos, although
most escape predators by fleeing (often into thorny patches, from which their
armor protects them) or digging to safety. Only the South American three-banded
armadillos (  ) rely heavily on their armor for protection. When
threatened by a predator,    species frequently roll up into a ball. Other
armadillo species cannot roll up because they have too many plates. The North
American Nine-banded Armadillo tends to jump straight in the air when surprised,
and consequently often collides with the undercarriage or fenders of passing
vehicles.[4]

Armadillos have short legs but can move quite quickly, and have the ability to
remain underwater for as long as six minutes. Because of the density of its armor,
an armadillo will sink in water unless it inflates its stomach and intestines with air,
which often doubles its size and allows it to swim across narrow bodies of water.[5]
Armadillos use their claws for digging and finding food, as well as for making
their homes in burrows. They dig their burrows with their claws, only making a
single corridor where they fit themselves. They have five clawed toes on the
hindfeet, and three to five toes with heavy digging claws on the forefeet.
Armadillos have a large number of cheek teeth, which are not divided into
premolars and molars, but usually have incisors or canines. The dentition of the
nine-banded armadillo is P 7/7, M 1/1 = 32.[6]

estation lasts anywhere from 60 to 120 days, depending on species, although the
nine-banded armadillo also exhibits delayed implantation, so that the young are not
typically born for eight months after mating. Most members of the genus Ê 
give birth to four monozygotic young (that is, identical quadruplets), but other
species may have typical litter sizes that range from one to eight. The young are
born with soft leathery skin, which hardens within a few weeks, and reach sexual
maturity in 3±12 months, depending on the species. Armadillos are solitary
animals that do not share their burrows with other adults.[3]



Pink Fairy Armadillo

 
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×? 
 
!


: pampatheres
 p? enus Ê 

p? enus © Ê Ê
p? enus *ÊÊÊ
p? enus uÊÊ
p? enus {  

p? enus uÊ
Ê 

p? enus 
Ê
×? 
 
: glyptodonts
p? enus    
p? enus ^
p? enus ^ 

p? enus  
p? enus uÊ 
p? enus uÊ Ê ÊÊ  
p? enus uÊÊ 
×? 3 Ê
 : uÊÊ
Ê 

×? 
u
: armadillos
p? Subfamily Dasypodinae
X? enus Ê 
X? Nine-banded Armadillo or Long-nosed Armadillo,
Ê 

 
X? Seven-banded Armadillo, Ê 
 
 
X? Southern Long-nosed Armadillo, Ê 
  
X? Llanos Long-nosed Armadillo, Ê 
ÊÊÊ
X? reat Long-nosed Armadillo, Ê 
Ê 
X? airy Long-nosed Armadillo, Ê 
 
X? oepes's Mulita, Ê 
  
 X? Beautiful Armadillo, Ê 
  
p? Subfamily Euphractinae
X? enus Ê Ê 
X? reater Fairy Armadillo, Ê Ê 
  
X? enus Ê  Ê 
X? Screaming airy Armadillo, Ê  Ê 
   
X? Big airy Armadillo, Ê  Ê 
 
X? Andean airy Armadillo, Ê  Ê 
Ê
X? enus u   
X? orned Armadillo, u   
 
X? enus Ê
 , Ê
 
 Ê 

Pink Fairy Armadillo.

X? Pink Fairy Armadillo, Ê
 

 Ê 
X? enus J  Ê 
X? Six-banded Armadillo, J  Ê 
  
X? enus Ê  
X? Pichi, Ê  

p? Subfamily Tolypeutinae
X? enus ÊÊ 
 X? Northern Naked-tailed Armadillo, ÊÊ 
  Ê
X? Chacoan Naked-tailed Armadillo, ÊÊ 
Ê 
X? Southern Naked-tailed Armadillo, ÊÊ 
 
X? reater Naked-tailed Armadillo, ÊÊ 
Ê Ê
X? enus u  
X? iant Armadillo, u  

Ê

X? enus   
X? Southern Three-banded Armadillo,   

ÊÊ 
X? Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo,   
  

 indicates extinct taxon

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!


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Main article: Charango

Armadillo shells had traditionally been used to make the back of the charango, an
Andean lute instrument; nowadays charangos are made entirely of wood.





Armadillos are often used in the study of leprosy, since they, along with mangabey
monkeys, rabbits and mice (on their footpads), are among the few known non-
human animal species that can contract the disease systemically. They are
particularly susceptible due to their unusually low body temperature, which is
hospitable to the leprosy bacterium, Ê 

  Ê . (The leprosy
bacterium is difficult to culture and armadillos have a body temperature of 34 °C,
similar to human skin.)
The Nine-banded Armadillo also serves science through its unusual reproductive
system, in which four genetically identical quadruplets are born in each litter.[7][8][9]
Because they are always genetically identical, the group of four young provides a
good subject for scientific, behavioral or medical tests that need consistent
biological and genetic makeup in the test subjects. This is the only reliable
manifestation of polyembryony in the class mammalia, and only exists within the
genus Ê  and not in all armadillos, as is commonly believed. Other species
which display this trait include parasitoid wasps, certain flatworms and various
aquatic invertebrates.[8]

Armadillos (mainly Ê ) make common roadkill due to their habit of jumping
to about fender height when startled (such as by an oncoming car). Wildlife
enthusiasts are using the northward march of the armadillo as an opportunity to
educate others about the animals, which can be a burrowing nuisance to property
owners and managers.
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