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The Sibley Guide to Birds contains marvelous illustrations originally drawn by the author using watercolors. This is a great identification guide, not only for adult birds, but juveniles, also. |
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The
Armadillo is the state mammal of Texas.
9-Banded
Armadillo - Anahuac NWR
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Originally
native to South America, the armadillo now ranges as far north
as Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Louisiana; armadillos are found
in a variety of habitats: brush, woods, scrub and grasslands.
Armadillos
eat insects and other invertebrates, but occasionally eat
berries and bird eggs. They are skilled at digging for grubs.
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Physical
Description of 9-Banded Armadillos:
Body
Length: 15 - 17 inches
Tail
Length: 14 - 16 inches
Weight:
8 - 17 pounds
Similar
in form to an anteater, upper parts encased in a bony carapace
with large shields on shoulders and rump and nine bands
in between; front feet have four toes, middle two longest;
hind foot five-toed, the middle three longest, all provided
with large, strong claws; tail long, tapering and completely
covered by bony rings.
They have 30 or 32 peg-like teeth.
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9-Banded
Armadillo - High Island, TX
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Armadillos
dig many burrows, as well as dig for food. Few animals of comparable
size have so many dens per individual as the armadillo.
Many
shallow burrows serve as food traps in which insects and other
invertebrates take refuge.
Distribution
of armadillos is often determined by soil conditions since they
will not survive in areas where the soil is too hard to dig.
Armadillos
are fond of water. Tracks in the mud around small ponds give evidence
that the armadillos visit them not only for purposes of drinking
and feeding, but also to take mud baths.
Because
armadillos are easily affected by climatic conditions, they are
most active in summer in the cool of evenings, but in winter their
active hours are afternoons.
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Armadillos
do not hibernate, nor are they equipped to wait out long periods
of drought or freezing, which will effectively eliminate them
from an area.
Carrion
is readily eaten when available, and dead carcasses of animals
frequently are visited not only for the carrion but also for the
maggots and pupae of flies found on or near them.
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Because
of the bony carapace and ventral position of the genitalia, copulation
occurs with the female lying on her back.
Although breeding occurs in July, the embryo remains in a dormant
state until November. Four young are born in a burrow in March. |
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All
four young are the same sex, are identical quadruplets and all
four developed from the same egg. They even share a single placenta
while in the womb.
Armadillos
are the only mammals in which multiple young form from a single
egg with any regularity.
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