Mexican Long-nosed Armadillo
Dasypus mexicanus
They almost always give birth to genetically identical quadruplets, all derived from a single fertilized egg.
- Scientific name
- Dasypus mexicanus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Mammalia › Cingulata › Dasypodidae › Dasypus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Dry forests, brushlands, grasslands, and tropical deciduous forests with loose soil suitable for burrowing.
- Diet
- Insectivorous, primarily feeding on ants, termites, beetles, grubs, and other soil invertebrates.
- Range
- Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua
- Size
- Head-body length of 30-50 cm, tail length of 25-40 cm, weighing 3-6 kg.
- Lifespan
- 12-15 years in the wild
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, vehicular collisions, hunting, and predation by domestic dogs.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and docile. Maintain a respectful distance of 5 to 10 feet. Do not attempt to touch or handle them, as they have sharp digging claws and can carry zoonotic diseases like leprosy. If scratched or bitten, wash the area thoroughly with soap and warm water and consult a medical professional.
The nine-banded armadillo ( Dasypus novemcinctus ), also called the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo or common long-nosed armadillo , is a species of armadillo native to North, Central, and South America, making it the most widespread of the armadillos. They superficially resemble pangolins, though the two are not closely related; they have undergone convergent evolution.
Photo: Juan Cruzado Cortés, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/32abee9f-c203-4aa6-9c38-1f224c931047.md