The nine-banded armadillo is a land mammal. Once in a while, however, he has to cross a small body of water. He has two very unique methods of doing this. Method one is floating on the surface. The armadillo can literally inflate his intestines with air, creating the buoyancy he needs to cruise across to his destination. Method two is quite the opposite. Armadillos can hold their breaths for up to 6 minutes….so instead of floating, he might sink to the bottom and run across the riverbed until he reaches dry land.

Female armadillos almost always give birth to identical quadruplets. The quadruplets develop from a single egg inside the uterus. Females reproduce every year for their entire life span (usually around 12 to 15 years). If you do the math, one female armadillo can produce up to 60 babies during her lifetime!

The Nine-banded Armadillo

The Nine-banded armadillo, or “Dasypus novemcinctus” is a mammal in the Order xenarthra and is related to the anteaters and sloths.

It can be found in parts of North America, South America and throughout Central America.

It lives in a variety of habitats including rainforests, open prairies and scrubland.

The armadillo is an insectivore, feeding mostly on invertebrates, although it occasionally eats berries and bird eggs.

Chew on this:

Armadillos are like little bulldozers. Using their tough snouts and powerful claws, they dig around for food and create underground burrows up to 25 feet long! They are mostly nocturnal and have poor hearing and vision. With the exception of their soft underbelly, however, they’re equipped with some serious armor!

Coming soon