Sunday February 10, 2013
Kaieteur News
Interesting Creatures...
Page 17
(Dasypus novemcinctus)
The nine-banded armadillo The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), or the ninebanded, long-nosed armadillo, is a medium-sized mammal. It is found in North, Central, and South America, making it the most widespread of the armadillos. Its ancestors originated in South America, and remained there until three million years ago, when the formation of the Isthmus of Panama allowed them to enter North America as part of the Great American Interchange. The ninebanded armadillo is a solitary, mainly nocturnal animal, found in many kinds of habitats, from mature and secondary rainforests to grassland and dry scrub. It is an insectivore, feeding chiefly on ants, termites, and other small invertebrates. The armadillo can jump 3–4 ft (91–120 cm) straight in the air if sufficiently frightened, making it a particular danger on roads. The nine-banded armadillo evolved in a warm, rainy environment, and is still most commonly found in regions resembling its ancestral home. As a very adaptable animal, though, it can also be found in scrublands, open prairies, and tropical rainforests. It cannot thrive in particularly hot or dry environments, as its large surface area, which is not well insulated by fat, makes it especially susceptible to heat and water loss. Nine-banded armadillos are generally insectivores. They forage for meals by thrusting their snouts into loose soil and leaf litter and frantically digging in erratic patterns, stopping occasionally to dig up grubs, beetles (perhaps the main portion of this species' prey selection), ants, termites, and worms, which their sensitive noses can detect through eight inches (20 cm) of soil. They then lap up the insects with their sticky tongues. Nine-banded armadillos have been observed to roll about on ant hills in order to dislodge and consume the residing ants warm. They supplement their diets with amphibians and small reptiles - also occasionally eaten are birds' eggs and baby mammals. Carrion is also eaten, although perhaps the species is most attracted to maggots borne by carcasses rather than the meat itself. Less than 10 per cent of the diet of this species is comprised by non-animal matter, though fungi, tubers, fruits and
seeds are occasionally eaten. Nine-banded armadillos generally weigh from 2.5–6.5 kg (5.5–14 lb), though the largest specimens can scale up to 10 kg (22 lb). They are one of the largest species of armadillo. Head and body length is 38–58 cm (15–23 in), which combines with the 26–53 cm (10–21 in) tail, for a total length of 64–107 cm (25–42 in). They stand 15–25 cm (5.9–9.8 in) tall at the top of the shell. The outer shell is composed of ossified dermal scutes covered by non-overlapping, keratinized epidermal scales, which are connected by flexible bands of skin. This armour covers the back, sides, head, tail, and outside surfaces of the legs. The underside of the body and the inner surfaces of the legs have no armoured protection. Instead, they are covered by tough skin and a layer of coarse hair. The vertebrae are specially modified to attach to the carapace. The claws on the middle toes of the forefeet are elongated for digging, though not to the same degree as those of the much larger giant armadillo of South America. Their low metabolic rate and poor thermoregulation make them best suited for semitropical environments. Nine-banded armadillos are solitary, largely nocturnal animals that come out to forage around dusk. They are extensive burrowers, with a single animal sometimes maintaining up to 12 burrows on its range. These burrows are roughly 8 inches (20 cm) wide, 7 feet (2.1 m) deep, and 25 feet (7.6 m) long. Armadillos mark their territory with urine, faeces, and excretions from scent glands found on the eyelids, nose, and feet. Females tend to have exclusive, clearly defined territories. Males have larger territories, but theirs often overlap and can coincide with the ranges of several females. Territorial disputes are settled by kicking and chasing. When they are not foraging, armadillos shuffle along fairly slowly, stopping occasionally to sniff the air for signs of danger. Mating takes place during a two- to three-month-long mating season, which occurs from July–August in the Northern Hemisphere and November–January in the Southern Hemisphere. A single egg is fertilized, but implantation is delayed for three to four months to ensure the young will not be
born during an unfavourable time. Once the zygote does implant in the uterus, a gestation period of four months occurs, during which the zygote splits into four identical embryos, each of which develops its own placenta, so blood and nutrients are not mixed between them. After birth, the quadruplets remain in the burrow, living off the mother's milk for approximately three months. They then begin to forage with the mother, eventually leaving after six months to a
year. Nine-banded armadillos reach sexual maturity at the age of one year, and reproduce every year for the
rest of their 12–15 year lifespans. A single female can produce up to 56 young over the course of her life. This high reproductive rate
is a major cause of the species' rapid expansion. (Source: Wikipedia – The Free Online Encyclopedia)