Found in grasslands, rainforests and dried scrublands, the nine-banded armadillo (or Dasypus novemcinctus) is a species of armoured mammal native to North, Central, and South America. There are nine subspecies of nine-banded armadillo spread throughout its range, with a lot of variation in appearance between them. Generally, nine-banded armadillos are covered by a mottled pink-grey carapace made up of large plates across their shoulders and hips, and nine characteristic segmented plates over the torso, which merges into their long, plated tail. They have short legs with large feet and strong claws: four on the front feet and five on the hind feet. Their face is slender with a pointed snout and large ears. Nine-banded armadillos have a head-body length of 38cm to 58cm, with the tail adding another 26cm to 53cm. At the top of the shell they measure 15cm to 25cm in height. Males may be heavier than females, weighing 5.5kg to 7.7kg compared to 3.6kg to 6kg, but sexes are otherwise alike.
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Dasypus novemcinctus
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Animal Facts
The nine-banded armadillo typically has nine bands on its shell, but they may have 8 to 11 bands depending on their subspecies or the geographical area they are from.
The nine-banded armadillo is the most widespread armadillo species.
Unlike other armadillo species, the nine-banded armadillo cannot roll into a ball. Instead, they escape threats by running away or digging a shallow mound where they are protected with their hard shell.
Nine-banded armadillos make extensive use of burrows and may maintain multiple burrows at once within their territory.
Nine-banded armadillos give birth to 4 identical pups due to the zygote splitting 4 ways in the womb early in pregnancy.
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