Nine-banded armadillo
Nine-banded armadillo | |
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Male near Merritt Island, Florida | |
Female in Nuevo León, Mexico | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Cingulata |
Family: | Dasypodidae |
Genus: | Dasypus |
Species: | D. novemcinctus
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Binomial name | |
Dasypus novemcinctus | |
Nine-banded armadillo range |
The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), also known as the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo or common long-nosed armadillo, is a mammal found in North, Central, and South America, making it the most widespread of the armadillos.[2] Its ancestors originated in South America, and remained there until the formation of the Isthmus of Panama allowed them to enter North America as part of the Great American Interchange. The nine-banded armadillo is a solitary, mainly nocturnal[3][4] animal, found in many kinds of habitats, from mature and secondary rainforests to grassland and dry scrub. It is an insectivore, feeding chiefly on ants, termites, and other small invertebrates. The armadillo can jump 91–120 cm (3–4 ft) straight in the air if sufficiently frightened, making it a particular danger on roads.[5] It is the state small mammal of Texas.
Subspecies
- D. n. aequatorialis Lönnberg, 1913
- D. n. fenestratus Peters, 1864
- D. n. hoplites Allen, 1911
- D. n. mexianae Hagmann, 1908
- D. n. mexicanus Peters, 1864
- D. n. novemcinctus Linnaeus, 1758
North American subspecies exhibit reduced genetic variability compared with the subspecies of South America, indicating the armadillos of North America are descended from a relatively small number of individuals that migrated from south of the Rio Grande.[6]
Description
Nine-banded armadillos generally weigh from 2.5–6.5 kg (5.5–14.3 lb), though the largest specimens can scale up to 10 kg (22 lb). They are one of the largest species of armadillos.
Habitat
The nine-banded armadillo evolved in a warm, rainy environment, and is still most commonly found in regions resembling its ancestral home. As a very adaptable animal, though, it can also be found in
Range
The nine-banded armadillo has been rapidly expanding its range both north and east within the United States, where it is the only regularly occurring species of armadillo. The armadillo crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico in the late 19th century, and was introduced in Florida at about the same time by humans. By 1995, the species had become well established in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida, and had been sighted as far afield as Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, and South Carolina. A decade later, the armadillo had become established in all of those areas and continued its migration, being sighted as far north as southern Nebraska, southern Illinois, and southern Indiana.[11] The primary cause of this rapid expansion is explained simply by the species having few natural
Diet
Nine-banded armadillos are generally
Behavior
Nine-banded armadillos are solitary, largely nocturnal animals that come out to forage around dusk. They are extensive burrowers, with a single animal sometimes maintaining up to 12 burrows on its range. These burrows are roughly 20 cm (8 in) wide, 210 cm (7 ft) deep, and 760 cm (25 ft) long. Armadillos
Predation
If alarmed, nine-banded armadillos can flee with surprising speed. Occasionally, a large predator may be able to ambush the armadillo before it can clear a distance, and breach the hard carapace with a well-placed bite or swipe. If the fleeing escape fails, the armadillo may quickly dig a shallow trench and lodge itself inside. Predators are rarely able to dislodge the animal once it has burrowed itself, and abandon their prey when they cannot breach the armadillo's armor or grasp its tapered tail.[9] Due to their softer carapaces, juvenile armadillos are more likely to fall victim to natural predation and their cautious behavior generally reflects this. Young nine-banded armadillos tend to forage earlier in the day and are more wary of the approach of an unknown animal (including humans) than are adults. Their known natural predators include cougars (perhaps the leading predator), maned wolves, coyotes, black bears, red wolves, jaguars, alligators, bobcats, and large raptors. By far the leading predator of nine-banded armadillos today is humans, as armadillos are locally harvested for their meat and shells and many thousands fall victim to auto accidents every year.[22][23]
Reproduction
Mating takes place during a two-to-three month long mating season, which occurs from July–August in the
Nine-banded armadillos reach sexual maturity at the age of one year, and reproduce every year for the rest of their 12–to-15 year lifespans. A single female can produce up to 56 young over the course of her life. This high reproductive rate is a major cause of the species’ rapid expansion.[9]
Effect on the environment
The foraging of nine-banded armadillo can cause mild damage to the root systems of certain plants.
They are typically hunted for their meat, which is said to taste like pork, but are more frequently killed as a result of their tendency to steal the eggs of poultry and game birds. This has caused certain populations of the nine-banded armadillo to become threatened, although the species as a whole is under no immediate threat.[9] They are also valuable for use in medical research, as they are among the few mammals other than humans susceptible to leprosy.[6] In Texas, nine-banded armadillos are raised to participate in armadillo racing, a small-scale, but well-established sport in which the animals scurry down a 12-metre (40 ft) track.[9]
Hoover hog
During the Great Depression, the species was hunted for its meat in East Texas, where it was known as "poor man's pork",[27] or the "Hoover hog" by those who considered President Herbert Hoover to be responsible for the Depression.[28] Earlier, German settlers in Texas would often refer to the armadillo as Panzerschwein ("armored pig").[29] In 1995, the nine-banded armadillo was, with some resistance, made the state mammal of Texas,[30] where it is considered a pest and is often seen dead on the roadside. They first forayed into Texas across the Rio Grande from Mexico in the 19th century, eventually spreading across the southeast United States.[28]
References
- . Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- OCLC 62265494.
- ^ Armadillo Observation. Msu.edu. Retrieved on October 17, 2013.
- ^ Mammals of Kansas – Kansas University Archived April 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Ksr.ku.edu. Retrieved on October 17, 2013.
- ^ "How high can a nine-banded armadillo jump?". Everyday Mysteries. Library of Congress.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8018-8695-9.
- ^ a b 3.8 Armadillos. Fao.org. Retrieved on October 17, 2013.
- ISBN 0789477645
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wildlife Explorer: Nine-Banded Armadillo. USA: International Masters Publishers, 1998.[dubious ]
- ^ ARNOLD, CARRIE (June 13, 2022). "Ms". National Geographic. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
- ^ .
- ^ Schroeder, Owen (October 4, 2008) Armadillos take up residence in Tenn. theleafchronicle.com
- Evansville Courier and Press. June 29, 2008. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
- ^ Venable, Sam (2009). "Keeping all fingers intact". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ^ Windham, Steve. "Public Hearings Applying to 2010–2011 Fishing, Hunting and Trapping Seasons" (PDF). North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 20, 2009. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
- ^ Weaver, Jefferson (December 9, 2009). "New regulations feature armored possums". The News Reporter. Retrieved June 8, 2010.[dead link]
- ^ "Dasypus novemcinctus (Nine-banded armadillo)". Animal Diversity Web.
- UWI St. Augustine. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ ISBN 0801823536.
- ISBN 0292702418.
- JSTOR 2426822.
- ISBN 0079095089
- S2CID 85151201.
- ^ The Mammals of Texas, Davis and Schmidly 1994
- ISBN 0-679-44631-1
- S2CID 5619691.
- ^ TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE, Armadillos. Tpwd.state.tx.us (October 25, 2006). Retrieved on October 17, 2013.
- ^ a b Armadillo from the Handbook of Texas Online
- ^ ""Texas Wildlife" - August 2013 by Texas Wildlife Association - Issuu, p. 40". issuu.com. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ Texas State Symbols - Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Accessed January 17, 2014.
Further reading
- OCLC 44179508.
- eNature entry
- Nixon, Joshua. Armadillo Expansion, September 14, 2006, retrieved December 3, 2006.
- Trapping the nine-banded armadillo Archived April 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
External links
- View the nine-banded armadillo genome in Ensembl
- View the dasNov3 genome assembly in the UCSC Genome Browser.