Florida Nine-Banded Armadillo

The nine-banded or long-nosed armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus, is a common but non-native inhabitant of Florida. The Spanish name armadillo means little armored one

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 insectivorous animal, feeding chiefly on ants, termites and other small invertebrates.

This species is the only known animal that is able to inflate its own intestine in order to float across a river. It can also hold its breath for up to 6 minutes in order to walk across the bottom of narrow rivers. Additionally, the nine-banded armadillo always produces four identical offspring. The armadillo can jump three to four feet (90-120 cm) straight in the air if sufficiently frightened, making it a particular danger on roads.

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 Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, and had been sighted as far afield as Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina.

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.

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• Armadillo

[obviouslycurtis]

BOO armadillo!

[Suroha]

I like how it freezes all of a sudden, then snaps up at you like "Shit.... when did you get here?"

[PostboxDeath]

I WANT ONE!!!! its sooo cute!

[pureefficient]

never knew they existed in florida maybe ill go catch some for fun. I like hunting although i would not kill the animals ive cuaght. A few pictures will do