Species MammalsNine-banded Armadillo

Nine-banded Armadillo

Dasypus novemcinctus

CommonMammal
Illustration of Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)

The Nine-banded Armadillo is North America's only native armadillo and is covered in a jointed bony shell of dermal plates. It always gives birth to identical quadruplets formed from a single fertilized egg. Armadillos can hold their breath for up to six minutes and often walk across riverbeds rather than swim to cross water.

Habitat
Forests, scrublands, grasslands, and suburban areas
Diet
Beetles, ants, termites, worms, and small vertebrates
How common
Common

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