Nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)- a small mammal, a member of the Armadillo family (Dasypodidae), native to North, Central and South America.
Description
The armor consists of nine movable bony plates covered with keratinized skin (scales). These scales (osteoderm) provide a tough but flexible covering. Armor makes up about 16% of the body's weight and is divided into three main areas: pelvic, shoulder, and dorsal. The number of visible stripes can vary from 8 to 11. Each stripe is separated by a thin epidermal layer and hairs. Osteoderm continually grows and wears out, but never completely disappears. The average body length is 0.75 m. The average tail length is about 0.3 m, it is covered with 12 - 15 rings of scales (osteoderms).
The head is partially covered with keratinized scales, with the exception of the ears. They are protected by rough and bumpy skin. There are also no signs of armor on the soles. The elongated muzzle has a pink tint and is shaped like a pig's. The face, neck and belly are covered with a small amount of fur. Nine-banded armadillos have short legs: 4 toes on the front and 5 on the back.
The total number of teeth ranges from 28 to 32. They are ordinary, small in size and cylindrical in shape. Teeth grow throughout the armadillo's life. These mammals have long, sticky tongues that they use to catch insects.
The weight of males is 5.5 - 7.7 kg, and females - from 3.6 to 6.0 kg. Body temperature is low, ranging from 30 °-35 ° C. Considering their mass, armadillos have a low basal metabolic rate - 384.4 kJ/day.
Area
Nine-banded armadillos are found in South, Central and North America, and have the largest range of any species. existing species armadillo family, from Argentina and Uruguay, through Central America and to the southern United States.
Habitat
Nine-banded armadillos are most often found in forested and shrubby regions of tropical and temperate zones. Also found in grasslands and savannas around wooded areas. Armadillos prefer forests over grasslands because they forage on the forest floor. Mammals are not often found in arid regions; they choose coastal areas or areas with sufficient water, or minimal precipitation from 38 cm per year. They have also been found near wetland areas, but do not frequently inhabit them.
Temperature is an important condition when choosing a habitat. Armadillos are not comfortable in temperatures less than 22° Celsius, but warm burrows allow the animals to inhabit temperate areas.
Armadillos' habitat is not limited by the presence of humans; they do not often inhabit areas with dense human populations.
In forests, meadows and bushes, armadillos live in underground burrows. They vary in size, but can be up to 5 meters wide and 2 meters deep. Armadillos bring some herbs and leaves into their burrows, and often hide the entrance with plants. Females and males may share a burrow during the breeding season, but generally burrows are shared only between a female and her cubs or young siblings.
Reproduction
Armadillos have been spotted mating in summer season. As a rule, they are solitary animals, so the proximity of a female and a male is unusual phenomenon. It is believed that the male maintains this closeness to the female in order to claim her and protect her from other males. In some cases, males fight over the same female. It is likely that maintaining proximity allows the male to determine when the female is receptive to mating. Discharge from the anal glands may have a different odor during estrus.
Females have a large external clitoris, while males lack an external scrotum and the testicles are internal. Most females come into heat once a year, usually in early summer. At the time of conception, only one egg is fertilized. Blastocysts remain in the uterus for approximately 14 weeks before implantation. That is, when the blastocyst finally attaches to the wall of the uterus, it divides into 4 identical embryos. Each embryo develops in its own amniotic cavity. This embryonic process almost always results in the birth of four identical quadruplets.
Cubs are often born in early spring, after 4 month's pregnancy. Delayed implantation allows the offspring to emerge in the spring when it is warm and food is plentiful.
At birth, armadillos closely resemble their parents, only smaller in size. The eyes open quickly, but their armor hardens only after a few weeks. Full development and sexual maturity is achieved at the age of 3 or 4 years.
Lifespan
The lifespan of armadillos ranges from 7 - 8 years to 20 or more. At least one nine-banded armadillo has reached 23 years of age in captivity. Young animals have more high level mortality rate than adults.
Factors influencing life expectancy include: climatic conditions, predation and disease. Since this type does not have significant amount wool or fat, it does not cope well with low temperatures. A large adult male can survive no more than 10 days at 0 °C. The larger the animal, the more likely it is able to survive at low temperatures. Other conditions environment conditions such as drought also affect the mortality of these mammals.
Predation and killing by humans, both targeted and accidental, are significant causes of mortality. Cubs are more likely to die from predators in wildlife than adults, due to their weaker physical condition and softer armor.
Diseases may be important factor, contributing to the mortality of armadillos. In one population, 30% of the adult population were found to have associated diseases, while 17% had antibodies, indicating previous infection.
Nutrition
More than ninety percent of their diet (by volume) consists of animals. Adult beetles and larvae form the bulk of the diet, but armadillos also feed on termites, labiopods, ants, grasshoppers, earthworms, and several other insects and terrestrial invertebrates.
Armadillos also feed on small reptiles and amphibians, especially in winter time when these animals are more lethargic. They sometimes eat baby mammals or bird eggs. Less than ten percent of their diet consists of plant substances such as fruits, seeds, and mushrooms. Earth, twigs, tree bark, and other indigestible foods were found in their stomachs, but the consumption of such substances was probably accidental. Armadillos sometimes eat carrion, but are more interested in the larvae that inhabit the carcasses than in the meat itself.
The animals rely primarily on their sense of smell to find food sources and often visit shallow burrows in search of food.
Behavior
Nine-banded armadillos are nocturnal or crepuscular animals. They do not hibernate, but in the northern part of their distribution, armadillos are more active in the summer.
They dig holes using their noses and limbs. Armadillos may have multiple burrows, including one for nesting and several smaller ones as food traps. These mammals use natural above-ground crevices as nests. Other than mating pairs or raising young, armadillos generally do not share burrows. However, several adults have been recorded in cold weather.
Armadillos are rarely aggressive towards each other, although a pregnant or nursing mother can be quite hostile towards older offspring. During mating season, older males sometimes exhibit aggressive behavior in relation to younger ones. A frightened armadillo usually looks for a hole, and when it climbs inside, it arches its back and spreads its paws so that it is difficult to reach.
Economic value for humans: Positive
Armadillos, including nine-banded armadillos, play important role V medical research, since they feed a number of protozoa, bacteria and fungi that are responsible for human diseases. They are important predators hunting various agricultural pests In addition, they are caught for their meat and armor, which is used to make various trinkets.
Economic significance for humans: Negative
Despite catching agricultural pests, armadillos can cause damage to farmers. They feed on several cultures, including peanuts, corn and melon. Their holes pose a threat to farm animals, which may accidentally fall into them. In addition, burrows capable of weakening roadsides and dams. Armadillos are also carriers of various diseases.
Security status
The population of nine-banded armadillos is of least concern and is growing steadily. This is due to the high reproduction rate and increase in habitat area.
Video
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You've probably heard this word - armadillo. This is the name given to ships that are invulnerable to shells and covered with strong armor. But did you know that there are amazing mammals on our Earth, whose bodies are also hidden under “armor”? They are mammals, not turtles. Our today's report is about them.
Not a knight, but in armor
The name of the family of these animals is armadillos. The shoulder, head and pelvic shields on their body, as well as several belts, consist of bone plates covered with horny scales. The same plates cover the paws and tail. The paws have sharp and very strong claws with which the animal can even dig up asphalt. An armadillo, unlike a knight, is not a fighter. Some of these animals can curl up into a ball in case of danger, like hedgehogs. Others quickly burrow into a hole, disappearing almost instantly. There they get jammed with their shell and all their paws - there is no way they can get them out. And how else can they defend themselves if their teeth are without enamel and roots, and there are no fangs at all. The number of teeth ranges from 8 to 100, and varies even within one species.
He hears everything, but sees nothing
What does the armadillo feel? This animal's vision is let down: it cannot distinguish colors at all, but it hears perfectly. His sense of smell is also high - he senses prey in the ground at a depth of 20 cm. Body temperature depends on the environment and can drop to 32? C. The long, narrow, flexible and sticky tongue is an ideal tool for capturing food: insects and worms. The animal cannot tolerate frost, which is why it lives in warm South America. It also doesn’t like heat; it hunts in the cooler parts of the day. The armadillo lives in a hole dug near a pond. At the end of the long hole is a nest with a grass bedding, which the animal often changes, especially after rain.
There are four cubs, all twins
According to Brazilian belief, nine-banded armadillos always give birth to four babies. Scientists confirm this: there are really four, and all of the same sex - either females or males. Newborns see well and are covered with a soft shell. They grow well on mother's milk and already reach adult size at 6 months. The body length of the frilled armadillo is only 15 cm, and that of the giant one is 1 m. The mass of the small animal- only 90 g, and the largest ones grow up to 55 kg.
Hard-shelled or frilled, all the same - armadillos
Armadillo -: only about 20 species have been studied. They differ in size, number of shell belts, hairline, digging abilities, habitat. There are groups of frilled, bristly, large, spherical, and hard-shelled armadillos. Some of their types are on the pages of the Red Book.
The main enemies of these animals are coyotes, cougars and people. Locals They hunt them for their tender meat and shell, from which they make baskets and souvenirs for tourists.
The animal world has reached equilibrium for many millions of years, so every species of animal, especially such unique ones as armadillos, requires our protection.
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The armadillo animal, the photo of which is in front of you, is a surviving representative of the once large family. Armadillos trace their ancestry back to the times when dinosaurs lived on earth. Only the distant ancestors of today's armored animals were much larger. For example, one of these ancestors, the glyptodont, which was called the giant armadillo, was the size of a rhinoceros.
Other fossils of ancient animals of this species were also found; they were the size of a large bull. Nowadays, in nature, the armadillo (animal) is found with a length of about 130 cm and a height of about 30 cm. These mammals are interesting not only for their unusual appearance, their way of life is unique and worthy of attention. Let's get to know each other better amazing creature and with his habits.
Animal armadillo: description
IN modern world the only animal whose body is covered with a shell formed by cutaneous ossification is the armadillo. The shell covers the body from the sides and top. It makes up the head, shoulder and pelvic shields, in addition it also forms a number of hoop-shaped stripes. All parts of the shell are connected to each other connective tissue. This fabric is elastic, making the shell movable. On top of it are horny plates formed by the epidermis; they are thin, polygonal or square in shape. Exactly the same scutes are on the limbs. The tail is enclosed in bone rings. Hairs grow between the bone plates, sometimes penetrating the horny scales.
Based on this description, it becomes clear that the armadillo (animal) is well protected from enemies, almost all of it weak points What remains is the soft belly and the soft insides of the paws. There is no armor covering on them, only stiff grayish-brown and white hairs grow. The limbs are strong, although short. They are adapted for digging soil. The front legs are 3-5-toed with sharp, powerful, curved claws. Hind legs five-fingered. The shell is brown with a pink tint.
A very unusual and unlike other animal is the armadillo. The photos that you see in the article show that the animal is squat in appearance, its physique seems heavy for its size. The body can have a length (depending on the species) from 12 cm to 1 meter. The smallest are frilled armadillos, and the largest are giant armadillos. The length of the tail, respectively, is from 2 to 50 cm, weight - from 100 g to 60 kg.
The muzzle is short, triangular or elongated, with small eyes with thick eyelids. The skull is flattened in the dorsoventral direction. No other mammal has such a variable number of teeth, armadillos can have from 28 to 40, the giant armadillo is very toothy, it has as many as 90 teeth. In general, their number depends not only on the type of animal - it can be different for different individuals. The teeth are relatively small, of the same size, cylindrical in shape, without roots and enamel, and grow constantly. The tongue is used by armadillos to capture food, as it is long and sticky.
Armadillos have very poor eyesight, they do not distinguish colors, but, like all creatures with poor vision, they have excellent hearing and an excellent sense of smell. Body temperature depending on external environment ranges from 32 to 36 degrees. Animals with armor have a reduced metabolism. They cannot tolerate negative temperatures.
Where does the armadillo (animal) live?
These unusual creatures, “clad” in armor, inhabit savannas, steppes, forest edges and deserts of the Southern and Central America. Only the nine-banded armadillo lives in the southeastern and central states of the United States and even as far north as Nebraska.
Lifestyle
Armadillos love the night and do not like the day. During the day they hide in burrows and sleep, and at night they lead an active lifestyle. Although these animals are considered terrestrial, they are excellent shrews. Digging the ground with sharp claws, armadillos look for food and dig holes. They are able to quickly run, swim and “walk” along the bottom of reservoirs.
Animals with armor can hold their breath for up to six minutes, since Airways they are voluminous and represent a whole reservoir of air. Lungs filled with air compensate for the heaviness of the shell, allowing the animal to swim freely. In some cases, armadillos sink to the bottom and move underwater to the other side.
Most of these armored animals prefer to live alone and only in mating season looking for a mate. But in some cases they constantly live in pairs or small groups.
If the armadillo is in danger, then, depending on the situation and terrain, it flees, hides in the bushes, choosing thorny bushes whenever possible, or very quickly buries itself in the ground right in the place where it stands, leaving only one shell on the surface. Of all the species, only three-banded armadillos curl up into a ball, like hedgehogs, at the moment of danger.
What does an armadillo eat?
The armadillo's menu includes all kinds of insects, such as termites, ants and other invertebrates. Insect larvae are like candy for animals; plants are also included in the diet. These animals can, in some cases, eat small vertebrates and carrion.
Reproduction
The armadillo (animal) is a mammal that mates in the "missionary" position, the same way chimpanzees mate. The female carries the young from several weeks to many months if implantation of the egg after fertilization is delayed (latent stage).
A female armadillo gives birth to from 2 to 12 babies at a time, but it happens that only one baby is born. From the first day of life, small animals see the world; they are covered with soft skin; after a few hours, newborns stand on their paws and begin to walk. The mother takes care of her babies for several months, after which the young armadillos take care of themselves. At the age of two years, armored animals become sexually mature.
The armadillo is an animal that can be kept at home, but it is very poorly tamed. These mammals rarely breed in captivity.
If a stressful situation arises, the female can suspend childbirth for as long as two years.
Armored animals are the object of hunting; they have tasty white meat that resembles pork. Souvenirs and musical instruments are made from armadillo shells.
At home, in Latin America, armadillos are called armadillos, which means “pocket dinosaurs.” This expression corresponds not only appearance of this animal, but also the duration of existence on Earth.
Armadillos appeared on Earth about 55 million years ago. Unlike many species, they survived and continue to reproduce. The very shell or armor from which their name came from helped them survive for such a long period of time.
Armadillo animal belong to the order of edentates. Indeed, the teeth of this mammal are devoid of roots and enamel. They do not have incisors or fangs. Today there are approximately 20 species of armadillos. Their habitat is South America, and only one species lives in the south North America.
Armadillo animal in the photo Almost anyone can recognize it. Although this “pocket dinosaur” is an exotic animal, almost everyone knows what it looks like.
There are specimens so rare that even residents in Latin America do not immediately recognize them as armadillos. One of these animals is frilled armadillo.
This species has several other names - pink fairy or pink armadillo. They live only in a few areas of Argentina. For their residence they choose dry sandy meadows and plains with bushes and cacti.
In the photo the frilled armadillo
The pink fairy is one of the smallest representatives of the armadillo family. The length of the body is 9-15 cm, and they weigh about 90 g. A special feature of the pink armadillo is its shell.
It is attached to the body with only one thin strip and two more near the eyes. The armor consists of 24 thick bony plates. The animal can easily curl up into a ball.
The shell performs not only a protective function, but also thermoregulation of the body. The armor is located only on the back, like a cloak. The rest of the body (abdomen and sides of the body) is covered with thick fur. This silky covering keeps the armadillo warm on cold nights.
The frilled armadillo has a pink tail, which gives it a slightly comical appearance. The length of this tail is 2.5-3 cm. Given its miniature size, the animal is not able to lift it, so the tail constantly drags along the ground.
The pink fairy's muzzle ends with a sharp little nose. The animal's eyes are small because most This species spends its life underground and comes out mainly at night.
The front legs are stronger than the hind legs, as they are ideal tools for digging holes. Each paw has 5 fingers, which are equipped with long, powerful claws. The skull of this animal is thin, so the head is the most vulnerable spot.
Character and lifestyle of the armadillo
There, where does the armadillo animal live, the area is characterized by sandy soil. They build their homes not far from anthills. Closer to the food source.
They lead a solitary lifestyle. They communicate with other representatives of this species only during the breeding season. They spend all daylight hours in burrows, and only go out to hunt at night.
The slightest danger scares the pink armadillo. The coward immediately buries itself in the sand. To do this, they only need a few minutes; it is not for nothing that they are considered excellent diggers. With help long claws they are raking sand.
From the outside, these movements resemble swimming. Sand swimmers are precise in their movements and protect their heads from dirt while digging holes. The hind legs are only used to move forward underground.
To escape from enemies, armadillos use cunning and shell. If a predator decides to get into their hole, the armadillo blocks the entrance with the help of its bone plates.
It looks as if the passage has been blocked by a traffic jam, and the predator has no chance of getting its prey. If you want to start exotic pet and decided buy armadillo animal, know that room conditions are not suitable for its maintenance.
All types of armadillos can be kept in captivity, but only 2 species are most suitable. Animals raised in captivity get used to people easier than their wild relatives, giving them affection, humorous fun and a wonderful mood. So, for the role pet armadillo Nine-belt and three-belt ball joints are suitable.
The nine-banded armadillo has a phlegmatic character. He is an unsociable fellow who is a pleasure to watch. The ball battleship is the complete opposite nine-band.
He leads an active lifestyle, gets used to it and knows his owner. Over time, it becomes completely tame. You can play with it. He responds to his name and runs after his owner.
Both species do not show signs of aggression towards humans and easily adapt to new environments. But you shouldn’t expect the battleship to follow commands, since it doesn’t have much intelligence.
Armadillo nutrition
The main menu of the armadillo consists of insects and small ones. This animal is a predator. This one feeds beast of prey and larvae, so his house is most often located near anthills.
The diet of this mammal also contains plant food, though in smaller quantities than animals. The vegetarian part of the menu consists of leaves and roots of plants.
Pictured is a baby armadillo
Reproduction and lifespan of the armadillo
Pregnancy of a female armadillo can last from a couple of weeks to 5-7 months. This uncertainty is associated with the latent stage after fertilization. One litter can have from 4 to 12 babies. After only 3-4 hours of life, the cubs can already walk.
Like their parents, the body of small armadillos is equipped with armor. However, at the beginning of their life, the plates do not yet have such hardness. This shell is still soft to the touch and only upon reaching sexual maturity does it harden.
Armadillos become completely independent at 8 months. It is at this age that they leave parents' house. They will become sexually mature only at 2 years. The lifespan of this extraordinary animal is natural environment is 10 years.
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