Nine-banded Armadillo
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| Dasypus novemcinctus Linaeus, 1758 |
The Nine-banded Long-nosed Armadillo or just Nine-banded Armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus, is a species of armadillo from North, Central and South America. It is the most widespread member of the group.
The Nine-banded Long-nosed 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 omnivorous animal, but feeds basically on ants, termites and other insects.
[edit] Range within the United States
The Nine-banded Armadillo has been rapidly expanding its range both north and east within the United States. The armadillo crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico prior to the 20th century; by 1995 the species had become well-established in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, had been sighted as far afield as Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina, and even as far north as Nebraska, Illinois and Kentucky.[1]
The primary cause of this rapid expansion is explained simply by the existence of few or no natural predators of the armadillo within the United States, little desire on the part of Americans to hunt or eat the armadillo, and the animal's high reproductive rate. It is speculated that the northern expansion of the armadillo will continue until the species reaches as far north as Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey and all points southward on the East Coast of the United States. Further northward and westward expansion will probably be limited by the armadillo's inability to tolerate especially harsh winters, due to having little body fat to protect it from the cold.[2]
[edit] External links and references
- Armadillo removal - animal control techniques & trapping photos
- Edentate Specialist Group (2006). Dasypus novemcinctus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Louise H. Emmons and Francois Feer, 1997 - Neotropical Rainforest Mammals, A Field Guide.
- Gardner, Alfred (November 16, 2005). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 94-95. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
- Nixon, Joshua. Armadillo Expansion, September 14th, 2006, retrieved December 3rd, 2006.
es:Dasypus novemcinctus fr:Tatou à neuf bandes nl:Negenbandgordeldier pl:Pancernik długoogonowy
