On June 16th, 1995, the nine-banded armadillo was officially declared the state animal of Texas. It was named the Small State Mammal, the Large State Mammal being the longhorn. The House Current Resolution naming both animals was signed by then-Governor George W. Bush. The animals were chosen through a mock vote by elementary school children all over the state, which had been a tradition for years.
The nine-banded armadillo is the most common of all armadillos. It belongs to the family Dasypodidae and is found mostly in North, Central, and South America. It immigrated to Texas in the 19th century and is now widely seen across the state. Although it is called nine-banded, not all individual armadillos have more than seven bands on their armored bodies. This adaptable animal can survive comfortably in scrub, woods, open prairies, and tropical rainforests. It lives up to 12 to 15 years in the wild.
Physical Characteristics
This Texan mammal has a distinct shell casing made out of bone. It has two large shell casings covering the shoulders and the rump, with seven or nine bands in the middle. When the armadillo is born, the shell is soft and leathery, it hardens once the animal reaches its full adult weight of 8 to 15 lbs. Its total body length is about 15-17 inches. Males weigh roughly 11-17 lbs and females weigh 8-13 lbs. It has strong claws and a long, tapered, 14-16 inch tail completely covered by bony rings. It has 30 or 32 peg-shaped teeth and a very long tongue.
Behavior
The nine-banded armadillo is a solitary, nocturnal animal. It is most active at night, at twilight, or just before sunrise. It can dig very deep burrows, roughly 8 inches wide, 7 feet deep, and 25 feet long. It is highly territorial and always marks its space. Females are exclusive about their territories, while males tend to overlap into the territories of others.
Its body has a remarkable ability to cross lakes, ponds, and marshes. It can inflate its stomach and intestines with air and float across the water, or simply sink to the bottom and walk across using its sharp claws. Its tail helps it leap nearly three to four feet into the air, a useful trick for startling predators that come too close. Despite what many people think, the armadillo does not curl up into a ball. Instead, it leaps and outruns its enemies.
Dietary Habits
The armadillo is both an omnivore and an insectivore. It digs erratically with its snout and claws to loosen the soil, then uses its long, sticky tongue to catch beetles, ants, termites, worms, grubs, and caterpillars. It may also supplement its diet with amphibians, small reptiles, fungi, tubers, and carrion. It eats these using its leaf-shaped, peg-like teeth.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the armadillo become the state animal of Texas?
June 16th, 1995
What family does the nine-banded armadillo belong to?
Dasypodidae
How many young does the nine-banded armadillo always give birth to?
Identical quadruplets, four same-gender offspring from a single egg
Can armadillos really walk underwater?
Yes, they can sink to the bottom and walk across using their sharp claws, or inflate their stomach and intestines to float across
What is the conservation status of the nine-banded armadillo?
Least Concern, it is found abundantly across Texas and the Americas
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Breeding
The armadillo reaches sexual maturity at one year of age. A female can produce up to 56 young over the course of her life. Its breeding system stands apart from many other mammals. Mating usually takes place in a burrow from July to August in the Northern Hemisphere and November to January in the Southern Hemisphere. Although only a single egg gets fertilized, implantation is delayed by 3 to 4 months. The gestation period is about four months.
During pregnancy, identical quadruplets develop, each with its own placenta so that blood and nutrients are not shared between them. The remarkable thing about the nine-banded armadillo is that it always gives birth to the same-gender quadruplets from a single egg. After birth, the quadruplets stay in the burrow with their mother for three months, living on her milk. Another three to four months are spent foraging with the mother before the young eventually leave, anywhere from six months to a year after birth.
Conservation Status
One of the Texas state symbols, the nine-banded armadillo is listed as "Least Concern" because it is found abundantly all over the state. It was hunted for its meat during the Great Depression. However, since it is capable of reproducing every year, the numbers of this animal did not dwindle.
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Fun fact for today!The nine-banded armadillo always gives birth to identical quadruplets, four same-gender young from a single egg!