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Nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)

Nine-banded armadillo Common Names: Common long-nosed armadillo, cachicamo, tatu-hu, tatu verdaderio

Description:

Identification: Gray to brownish gray body that is 15-17 inches long. It's tail can reach 14-16 inches long. Its' scaly plates are known as scutes. 9, sometimes fewer, narrow, jointed armor bands on its midsection. Small pointed head with a long snout; peg-like teeth and large, pointed ears.

Habitat: Native to South America. Typically found in bottomland hardwood forests, scrub and brushlands. Prefers areas of soft soil for burrowing. Usually found near water sources like streams, creeks and water holes.

Reproduction: Breeds in the summer. Females almost always give birth to 4 identical young, all of the same sex. Young are born with their eyes open and walking within a few hours. Skin is soft and will nurse for 2 months.

Impact and Damage: Carriers of leprosy (Mycobacterium leprae). Its pervasive burrowing has been known to accelerate and worsen erosion and undermine the foundations of buildings. Continual rooting in the leaf litter is thought to damage the underlying layers by exposing them to greater sunlight and dehydration.

Monitoring and rapid response: Live capture with cage traps has proven effective.

Credits: The information provided in this factsheet was gathered from Columbia University, the National Wildlife Federation and NatureWorks.

Individual species images that appear with a number in a black box are courtesy of the Bugwood.org network (http://www.invasive.org).Individual photo author credits may not be included due to the small display size of the images and subsequent difficulty of reading the provided text. All other images appear courtesy of Google (http://images.google.com).


Common Name:

Nine-banded armadillo

Scientific Name:

Dasypus novemcinctus

Family:

Dasypodidae
(Armadillo)

Habit:

Mammals