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There are around 20 species of armadillo, but only the nine-banded armadillo is found in the U.S. This post from rwpzoo shares two of the four nine-banded armadillo pups that mom, Patsy, recently gave birth to. Patsy and her babies make their home at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island. It’s common for animals to give birth to multiple offspring, but nine-banded armadillos nearly always give birth to identical quadruplets. This phenomenon is thought to be an evolutionary adaptation to maximize the number of pups. How is it possible? Keep reading to learn about the armadillo’s amazing biology.
Nine-Banded Armored Armadillos
Armadillo is a Spanish word that means “little armored one.” This refers to the bony, armor-like plates on their bodies called scutes. They have large, shield-type plates on their rumps and shoulders. Although they usually have nine bands across their mid-sections, they can have anywhere from eight to 11. They have pointed heads with pointed ears and long, pig-like snouts. These armadillos have small clusters of hair on their faces, necks, and un-armored undersides. They grow to around 15-17 inches, with tails that are nearly as long as their bodies. They average about 12 pounds, but larger males can reach a maximum of about 17 pounds.
The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) was originally native to South America. Its range now extends through Central America and the southern U.S. and is steadily expanding further north. Armadillos prefer warm, forest and grassland habitats near water. They can hold their breath for up to six minutes, which helps when foraging with their noses underground. They can also hold air in their intestines, which allows them to swim or walk along the river bottoms to reach the other shore. These armadillos favor soft soil they can easily burrow into. Their forefeet have four toes and their hindfeet have five toes, all with sharp claws for digging.
The Armadillo’s Amazing Evolutionary Adaptations
Nine-banded armadillos breed in the early summer. However, the embryo stays dormant for around 14 weeks. This delayed implantation allows the pups to be born in the spring when the weather is more favorable and food is easier to come by. So, the embryo is not implanted until around November. Once implanted, it splits into four identical embryos. This process is called monozygotic polyembryony. Scientists believe this evolutionary strategy allows the armadillos to increase the number of offspring born from one fertilized egg.
The gestation period lasts for about four months. The little pups in the post above were born in early March, so they are just a few weeks old. Since the four pups were all born from a single egg, they share 100% of their DNA. So, they are either all males or all females. These little pups are females and their sisters are behind the scenes with their mother.
Armadillo Pup Development
Although the tiny armadillo pups only weigh 3-4 ounces at birth, they are precocial. This means they are already highly developed when they are born. Their eyes are open, but they have poor eyesight. However, their senses of smell and hearing are excellent. The newborns are also up and walking within a few hours. The pups have soft, pink, leathery skin that hardens by the time they are around six months old. At about four months, their skin darkens to brown. Unfortunately, the pups are extremely vulnerable to predators before their armor hardens.
The mother nurses the pups for about 2-3 months. When the pups are weaned, they may stick close to the mother for a few more months. They typically do not leave their burrow for a few weeks, then they make short trips to forage with their mother. By around two months old, the pups’ diet consists of invertebrates like cockroaches, spiders, snails, grubs, wasps, beetles, and fire ants, among others. In the wild, armadillo pups do not have long-term relationships with their mother. However, they often share a burrow and forage with their siblings through the first summer and fall. As nine-banded armadillos can breed as soon as the summer after their birth, some pups may even become mothers themselves.
The post These Identical Armadillo Quads Have Leather-Like Skin While They Wait for Their Armor to Harden appeared first on A-Z Animals.
March 29, 2025 at 04:55PMTrina Julian Edwards.jpeg)
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