1. 1. (Dasypus novemcinctus) By Edrishica Rush BIO: 123 574 Animal Behavior NINE-BANDED ARMADILLO
2. 2. Nine-Banded Armadillo (Description) Appearance: Nine Distinct Bands, long narrow snout, armor like cover Color Range: Brown to Brown & Yellow Mix Total Length: 24 to 32 (tail 9 to 14 ) Avg. Weight: Males 12 lbs. to 17 lbs. Females 8lbs. to 13 lbs. (Google. n.d. Photo. Available from https://www.google.com/#q=pictures+of+nine+banded+armadillo )
3. 3. Nine-Banded Armadillo (Habitat) Ideal habitat: Warm climate, wooded terrain, near bodies of water Can cross small bodies of water by holding breathe underwater for up to 6 minutes Live in underground burrows Burrows main function: Nurturing of Juveniles Right Click image (open hyperlink)- Video clip: An Adult female preparing her burrow (Arkive.2013.Video clip & image. Available from: http://www.arkive.org/nine-banded- armadillo/dasypus-novemcinctus/video-03a.html )
4. 4. Nine-Banded Armadillo (Communication) Various Guttural noises when communicating with juveniles and while eating Mates use chucking sound Scent marking Limited vision: rely mostly on smell and hearing (Arkive. 2013. Image by Martin Harvey. Available from : http://www.arkive.org/nine-banded-armadillo/dasypus-novemcinctus/image-G73535.html )
5. 5. Nine-Banded Armadillo-Diet & Feeding Behavior Carnivores: forge mostly for invertebrates & small vertebrates; some vegetation and fungus Uses sense of smell and keen hearing to locate food Typical Feeding sites: roots of plants, leaf litter & rotting trees (Google. n.d. image. Available from: https://www.google.com/search?q=chart+of+nine- banded+armadillo+eating+habits&client=firefox-a&hs=1Pa&rls=org.mozilla:en- US:official&channel=fflb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&s )
6. 6. Nine-Banded Armadillo (Migration Patterns) The Nine-Banded Armadillo originated in South America First sighting in North America- (1840) Rio Grande Valley of Texas Migrated from Texas to bordering states as far as Florida and to southern parts of Illinois and Indiana (2013 data) Barrier to migration Colder climates below 220 C (Google. n.d. Map. Available from: https://www.google.com/search?q=Nine-Banded+armadillo+terrieries&ie=utf- 8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=fflb#channel=fflb&q=Nine- Banded+armadillo+territories&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&spell=1 )
7. 7. Nine-Banded Armadillo (Natural Enemies & Defense Behavior) Natural Enemies- black bears, pumas, wolves, coyotes, jaguars, alligators and bobcats. Food source for humans; skin used for various purposes Defense Behavior: Jumps straight in the air when startled and sprints over short distances to avoid predators. Also they will wedge themselves in their burrows to prevent extraction. (Google. n.d. Image. Available from : https://www.google.com/search?q=predators+of+nine+banded+armadillo&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en- US:official&channel=fflb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=5ippU_L0CtGHyASN3YCIAw&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1600 &bih=729#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=Ca1Sv7J9O83ToM%253A%3B_ESxfOML6_RExM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fpelotes.jea.co m%252FAnimalFact%252FMammal%252Fjumpou1.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fpelotes.jea.com%252FAnimalFact%252FMamm al%252Farmad.htm%3B423%3B380 )
8. 8. Nine-Banded Armadillo (Solitary Behavior) Not very social - Solitary Spends most of their time underground Conspecific encounters are usually cordial Aggression sometimes shown by pregnant or nursing mothers and older males during mating season (Google. n.d. Image. Available from: ttps://www.google.com/search?q=predators+of+nine+banded+armadillo&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en- US:official&channel=fflb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=5ippU_L0CtGHyASN3YCIAw&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&b iw=1600&bih=729#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=Ti8XWfFSNnyfWM%253A%3BXxj2H- Du_2K3iM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fupload.wikimedia.org%252Fwikipedia%252Fcommons%252Fd%252Fdb%252FAr madillo_on_hind_legs.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fen.wikipedia.org%252Fwiki%252FNine- banded_armadillo%3B3264%3B2448 )
9. 9. Nine-Banded Armadillo (Reproductive behavior/ Life cycle) Females ovulate once a year Males and females are in close proximity usually only during mating season Conception results in the birth of identical quadruplets Sexual maturity in 2 years / Full development and maturity in 3 to 4 years Can contract leprosy Life Expectancy from 7 to 8 years to over 20 years in the wild (Google. n.d. image. Available from : https://www.google.com/search?q=nine- banded+armadillo+underground&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en- US:official&channel=fflb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=wDtpU7eIO6H7yAHBzYCIBg&ved=0CDoQsAQ&biw=16 00&bih=729 )
10. 10. Nine-Banded Armadillo (Conservation Status) The population is increasing Many of them live in protected areas They are highly adaptive They have a high reproductive rate (IUCN Red List. 2013. Image. Available from: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/6290/0
11. 11. Nine-Banded Armadillo (Current Research on Behavior) Current research is being conducted by Valdosta State Universitys Biology Department Solicitations are being made on their website for interested undergraduate and graduate students Research aims to find out if their reproduction cycle has any effect on their population structure and behavior, particularly with the opportunity for kin selection (Valdosta State University. 2014. Image. Available from: http://www.valdosta.edu/colleges/arts-sciences/biology/ )
12. 12. Nine-Banded Armadillo (Conclusion) (Google. n.d. Image. Available from: https://www.google.com/search?q=predators+of+nine+banded+armadillo&client=firefox- a&rls=org.mozilla:en- US:official&channel=fflb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=5ippU_L0CtGHyASN3YCIAw&ve d=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1600&bih=729#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=lcll72tB3LdG0M%253A%3BZ hx8w1-_7Jqo- M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F1.bp.blogspot.com%252F_uRz7LHZAF8c%252FTULnSsz04BI%252F AAAAAAAABN4%252FxWLUT8dROx4%252Fs1600%252FGuadalupe%252BState%252BPark%2525 252C%252BJanuary%2525252C%252B2011%252B%25252528110%25252529.JPG%3Bhttp%253A%252 F%252Fkaholly.blogspot.com%252F2011_01_01_archive.html%3B1600%3B1200 )