Nine-Banded Armadillo: Facts, Shell, Habitat and Range

Appearance: the armadillo’s shell

An armadillo’s armor is unlike anything else among living mammals. The shell, or carapace, is made of small plates of bone that grow in the skin, each covered by a thin layer of keratin, the same protein that forms our fingernails. The armor covers the head, back, sides, tail and the outside of the legs.

The shell has two solid shields, one over the shoulders and one over the hips, joined by a middle section of flexible bands. These bands give the species its name. Most animals have nine, but the number can vary slightly. The skin between the bands folds like an accordion, so the armadillo can bend, twist and squeeze into burrows.

The belly and inner legs have no armor at all. They are covered with soft, pale skin and sparse, coarse hairs. The armadillo has a long, pointed snout, tall ears, small eyes and a tapering, ringed tail. The front feet carry four toes with long, curved claws for digging, while the hind feet have five toes.

Armadillos belong to an ancient group of mammals, the Xenarthra, which also includes sloths and anteaters. Like its relatives, the nine-banded armadillo has small, simple, peg-shaped teeth without enamel, and a long, sticky tongue. You can read more about its relatives in our profile of the giant anteater.

How big is a nine-banded armadillo?

The nine-banded armadillo is about the size of a large house cat. It is one of the larger armadillo species, but far smaller than the giant armadillo of South America.

Males are usually a little heavier than females. Armadillos in the United States tend to sit toward the middle of the weight range, with most adults weighing about 3–6 kg (6–13 lb).

Habitat and range

Nine-banded armadillos live in a wide range of habitats: tropical rainforest, dry forest, scrub, grassland, farmland and even suburban lawns and parks. What they need is soft, diggable soil, plenty of insects, water nearby and cover such as brush or woodland. They avoid very dry deserts and places with long, hard winters.

The species ranges through much of South America east of the Andes, north through Central America and Mexico into the United States. In the US it is common in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida, and it is now established or regularly seen in parts of Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, the Carolinas, southern Illinois and southern Indiana.

That US range is remarkably new. Armadillos crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into Texas in the 19th century, and people introduced them to Florida in the early 1900s. Since then the two populations have spread and joined, moving steadily north and east. The full story is in where do armadillos live?

A note on names

In 2024, a genetic study proposed that armadillos from the United States, Mexico and Central America form a separate species, now often called the Mexican long-nosed armadillo or northern nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus mexicanus). Under that view, Dasypus novemcinctus in the strict sense lives only in South America. Many field guides and US wildlife agencies still use the name nine-banded armadillo for the US animal, and this page follows that common usage. Both forms look and behave almost identically.

Diet: what do armadillos eat?

The nine-banded armadillo is an insectivore. More than 90% of its diet is animal food, mainly beetles and their larvae (grubs), plus ants, termites, caterpillars, grasshoppers, earthworms, millipedes, centipedes, spiders and snails.

It forages by shuffling along with its nose close to the ground, sniffing constantly. Its sense of smell is so good that it can detect insects about 20 cm (8 in) below the surface. When it finds something, it digs quickly with its front claws and laps up the prey with its sticky tongue. Armadillos have been seen rolling on ant mounds to break them open.

Small frogs, lizards and snakes, bird eggs and carrion are eaten now and then. Studies suggest armadillos visit carcasses mostly for the maggots and beetles on them rather than the meat. Less than 10% of the diet is plant matter, such as fruit, seeds, fungi and tubers.

Because they dig so many small, cone-shaped holes, armadillos sometimes damage lawns and flower beds. At the same time, they eat large numbers of beetle grubs and other insects.

Behavior

Nine-banded armadillos are solitary animals that are mostly active from dusk through the night. In cool weather they switch to feeding in the warmer afternoon. When not feeding, they shuffle along slowly, stopping to sniff the air.

Each armadillo uses several burrows within its home range, sometimes as many as 12. A typical burrow is about 20 cm (8 in) wide and can run up to about 7.5 m (25 ft) long and 2 m (7 ft) deep, with a nest of leaves and grass inside. Abandoned armadillo burrows are later used by skunks, rats, burrowing owls, snakes and other animals.

Armadillos mark their home areas with scent from glands on the eyelids, nose and feet, and with urine and droppings. Males defend breeding territories and settle disputes by kicking and chasing.

Swimming and holding their breath

Despite their heavy armor, armadillos cross water in two ways. They can swallow air to inflate their stomach and intestines and then paddle across, floating like a small raft. Or they can simply walk along the bottom of a shallow stream, holding their breath for up to about 6 minutes.

Defense

The nine-banded armadillo cannot roll into a complete ball. Only the two three-banded armadillos of South America can do that, as explained in can armadillos roll into a ball? Instead, a frightened nine-banded armadillo runs for thorny cover or its burrow, jumps straight up about 0.9–1.2 m (3–4 ft), or digs quickly into loose soil. Once in a burrow, it arches its back and braces its legs so it is very hard to pull out.

Reproduction: identical quadruplets

The nine-banded armadillo is famous for nearly always giving birth to four identical young. A single fertilized egg splits into four embryos, so every litter is made up of quadruplets of the same sex that are genetically identical.

In the United States, mating happens mainly in summer, especially July and August. The fertilized egg then floats in the womb for about three to four months before it attaches, a pause called delayed implantation. After it implants and divides, the young develop for about four more months and are born in early spring, usually March or April.

Newborns weigh about 85 g (3 oz). Their eyes are open and they can walk within hours, but their shells stay soft and leathery for several weeks. The young nurse for about two to three months, start foraging with their mother and become independent within their first year. Many females breed at about one year old and can raise a litter every year. Read more in do armadillos always have quadruplets?

Lifespan

Nine-banded armadillos often live around 7–8 years in the wild, though some reach 12–15 years or more. In captivity, at least one has lived about 23 years. Young armadillos with soft shells die at a much higher rate than adults.

Predators and threats

Natural predators include cougars, coyotes, bobcats, black bears, American alligators, jaguars and large birds of prey. Juveniles, with their softer armor, are taken far more often than adults.

Today, the biggest killers in the United States are cars and cold weather. Thousands of armadillos are killed on roads every year. Because they have little body fat and do not hibernate, long spells of freezing weather can cause heavy losses, and cold winters set the northern limit of their spread. In parts of their range they are also hunted for meat or killed as garden pests.

Conservation status

The nine-banded armadillo is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It is widespread, common, adaptable and has a high breeding rate. The northern form, Dasypus mexicanus, has also been assessed as Least Concern. Local declines happen where hunting is heavy, but the species as a whole is not threatened, and its range in North America is still growing.

Armadillos and people

Armadillos are among the few animals other than humans that can naturally carry Mycobacterium leprae, the bacterium that causes leprosy (Hansen’s disease). This is why they have been important in medical research. A small number of human cases in the southern United States have been linked to contact with armadillos. Health agencies describe the risk as low but recommend not handling, keeping or eating wild armadillos.

The armadillo also has a place in Texas culture. It was named the state small mammal of Texas in 1995. During the Great Depression it was eaten in parts of the South and nicknamed the “Hoover hog”, and German settlers in Texas called it the “armored pig”. For more animals that are busiest after dark, see our list of nocturnal animals.