AnimaliaHighest rank in taxonomy. Groups all life into domains: Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, etc.IUCN LCInternational Union for Conservation of Nature — the world authority on species extinction risk, using standardized criteria. — Least Concern — widespread and abundant; not at immediate risk of extinction.In ProgressCurrent stage of this record in the editorial review workflow. Recent Sighting
Dasypus novemcinctus
Nine-banded Armadillo
Linnaeus, 1758
Detailed Texts Multi-lang
The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is a medium-sized mammal belonging to the order Cingulata, the only order of living mammals with an articulated external bony armor. Its body is protected by a dermal carapace composed of bony plates covered by corneous epidermal scutes: a cephalic shield over the head, an anterior scapular shield, between seven and eleven mobile bands in the mid-dorsal zone — typically nine, though the number varies frequently — and a posterior pelvic shield. The tail is also armored with bony rings. The snout is long, tubular, and highly sensory, and the tongue is long and sticky, adapted for capturing insects. The legs have robust, curved claws, especially on the forelimbs. It is the only armadillo to have successfully colonized North America, with a range extending from the south-central United States to Uruguay and northern Argentina.
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TaxonomyBiological classification ranks placing this species within the tree of life, from Kingdom down to Genus.
PhylumRank below Kingdom. Groups organisms sharing a fundamental body plan (e.g., Chordata = vertebrates and some invertebrates).Chordata
ClassRank below Phylum. Subdivides by structural traits (e.g., Mammalia, Aves, Reptilia, Insecta).Mammalia
OrderRank below Class. Groups related families sharing common ancestry (e.g., Carnivora, Primates).Cingulata
FamilyRank below Order. Groups closely related genera (e.g., Felidae = cats, Canidae = dogs).Dasypodidae
GenusRank just above Species. The first word in the two-part binomial scientific name.Dasypus
Taxonomic AuthorityThe scientist who first formally described and published this species, followed by the year of publication.Linnaeus, 1758
Record Completeness
95%Coming soon
Ecology & StatusHow this species lives: habitat preferences, diet, behavior, population status, and role in its ecosystem.
OriginWhether the species is native (evolved here), endemic (found only here), or introduced by human activity.
Native
Population TrendDirection of change in population size over time: increasing, stable, decreasing, or unknown.
Increasing
Breeding SeasonTime of year when this species typically reproduces or flowers.
Year Round
Trophic RolePosition in the food chain: producer, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, decomposer, or parasite.
Insectivore
Recent SightingsWhether this species has been observed in the wild in Costa Rica within recent years.
Yes
Habitat SummaryOverview of the specific ecosystems and environments where this species is found in Costa Rica. Multi-lang
The nine-banded armadillo is one of the mammal species with the greatest habitat plasticity in Latin America. It occupies tropical moist and dry forests, shrublands, savannas, wooded grasslands, secondary forests at all stages of succession, crop margins, plantations, and peri-urban gardens. It requires friable, soft soils that it can easily excavate for burrow construction and food searching, and therefore avoids rocky substrates and highly compacted clay soils. It prefers zones with sufficient low vegetation cover for concealment, but adapts with remarkable flexibility to anthropized environments. In Costa Rica it is present in virtually all ecosystems from sea level to 2,700 meters in altitude, including urban and peri-urban zones of the Greater Metropolitan Area.BehaviourDaily activity patterns, movement, territory use, foraging style, and seasonal behavioral changes. Multi-lang
The nine-banded armadillo is primarily crepuscular and nocturnal, although in areas with low human pressure it may have diurnal activity, especially in cooler months. It spends most of the day resting in burrows excavated beneath roots, fallen logs, or on sloping ground. An individual may maintain up to 12 active burrows simultaneously distributed within its home range of 1 to 10 hectares. It moves with its head low, constantly sniffing the ground, and frequently stops to excavate brief pits in search of invertebrates. Upon detecting a predator, it typically reacts with a rapid zigzagging flight, a sudden vertical jump, or takes refuge in the nearest burrow. It can travel between 1 and 3 km per night during foraging routes.Social ActivitySocial structure: whether the species is solitary, paired, or colonial; hierarchy and communication. Multi-lang
The nine-banded armadillo is fundamentally solitary. Adult individuals actively avoid each other outside the reproductive period and maintain individual home ranges that may partially overlap but are not shared. Intraspecific communication occurs primarily through chemical signals — urinary marks and secretions from glands on the feet and snout deposited on soil and vegetation — and, to a lesser extent, low-frequency nasal vocalizations when two individuals meet. During courtship, the male follows the female for several days. In winter, at the colder latitudes of the northern part of its range, several individuals may share a burrow to conserve heat, but this cohabitation is transitory and does not imply a stable social structure.Feeding GuildWhat the species eats, how it forages or hunts, and its role as a consumer in the food web. Multi-lang
Fossorial insectivore-omnivore. Its diet is dominated by soil invertebrates: beetle larvae (especially dung beetles and rhinoceros beetles), termites, ants, earthworms, millipedes, sowbugs, and spiders. It opportunistically supplements with bird and reptile eggs located in the ground, small vertebrates (lizards, small snakes, amphibians), carrion, fungi, fleshy roots, and fallen fruits. It uses its sensory snout to detect food beneath the surface and its robust forelimb claws for excavation. It does not store food. The exact diet composition varies notably by region and season.Trophic Chain DetailsSpecific interactions in local food webs: prey species, predators, competitors, and scavengers. Multi-lang
Insectivorous-omnivorous primary consumer. Its diet is composed primarily of soil invertebrates — beetle larvae, termites, ants, earthworms, millipedes, and spiders — supplemented by small vertebrates, carrion, fungi, roots, and fallen fruits. By actively excavating the soil in search of food, it generates substrate disturbance that benefits soil aeration and fungal spore dispersal. Its main predators are the puma (Puma concolor), jaguar (Panthera onca), ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), tayra (Eira barbara), boa constrictor (Boa constrictor), and coyote (Canis latrans) in the northernmost parts of its range. The gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) and domestic dogs represent additional predators in peri-urban areas.Reproductive BehaviourMating strategies, courtship displays, nesting or spawning behavior, and parental care. Multi-lang
Reproduction features a characteristic unique among mammals: obligate monozygotic polyembryony. The female produces a single egg per reproductive cycle, which after fertilization obligatorily divides into four genetically identical embryos. There is also a facultative embryonic diapause of up to 14 weeks, during which the blastocyst remains free in the uterus without implanting, which can postpone birth until environmental conditions are favorable. Effective gestation, once implantation is complete, lasts between 120 and 150 days. The four young are born with open eyes, a soft carapace that is already partially calcified, and can walk within hours. Lactation lasts approximately 3 months. Young reach sexual maturity between 9 and 12 months. The carapace reaches its definitive hardness at 6–8 months of life.Physical Measures
Length (cm)
38.0 - 58.0 cm
Weight (Grams)
2.50 kg - 8.00 kg
Offspring per cycleTypical number of young (live births, eggs, or seeds) produced by one adult in a single reproductive event or breeding season.4 - 4
Sexual DimorphismObservable physical differences between males and females of the same species (e.g., size, coloration, features).No
Lifespan
Sexual MaturityAge at which the individual becomes capable of reproducing for the first time.
9 - 12 Months
Gestation / IncubationDuration from fertilization to birth (mammals) or to hatching (egg-laying species).
120 - 150
Lifespan EstimatedExpected duration of life from birth to natural death under wild conditions.
Males7 - 15 Years
Females7 - 15 Years
Evolutionary AdaptationsInherited traits and behaviors that improve the species' survival and reproduction in its specific environment. Multi-lang
Articulated dermal carapace composed of osteoderms — small intradermal bony plates — fused together and covered by corneous scutes, acting as passive armor against predators with moderate biting capacity. The mobile bands in the mid zone permit a degree of body flexion that facilitates locomotion on irregular terrain and burrow excavation.
Ability to drastically reduce metabolic rate and body temperature during periods of food scarcity or extreme ambient temperatures — a non-hibernatory torpor state — allowing it to survive for up to several weeks without feeding by consuming accumulated fat reserves in the body.
Extraordinarily keen sense of smell, capable of detecting invertebrates, larvae, and underground fungi at depths of up to 20 cm below the soil surface through volatile chemical signals, allowing it to precisely locate food before excavating, minimizing the energy expenditure of searching.
Ability to cross water bodies using two mutually exclusive strategies depending on water depth: in shallow water, it walks directly along the bottom while retaining air in its lungs for up to 6 minutes; in deep water, it inflates its stomach and intestines with air to increase buoyancy and actively swims. It is the only known mammal with this dual water-crossing mechanism.
Main ThreatsDocumented pressures reducing the population: habitat loss, hunting, disease, climate change, and invasive species. Multi-lang
Road kills: it is one of the mammals most frequently killed in vehicle collisions throughout Central and North America. Its antipredator behavior of jumping vertically upon detecting a sudden threat — effective against natural predators — makes it especially vulnerable to vehicles, as the jump projects it directly toward the windshield or chassis of the car rather than away from danger.
Hunting for human consumption in rural areas of Central and South America, where its meat is considered a traditional protein resource. In some regions of Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil there is an active local trade in live and dressed armadillos. Although the species tolerates some hunting pressure thanks to its high reproductive rate, intensive hunting can locally reduce its populations.
Bidirectional health risk from being a natural reservoir of Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy: in the southeastern United States, zoonotic transmission to humans has been documented through direct contact with wild individuals or consumption of their meat. Paradoxically, the armadillo has also been a fundamental animal model in biomedical research on leprosy, as it is the only non-human animal susceptible to developing the disease naturally.
Interesting FactsSurprising or notable facts that highlight what makes this species unique or ecologically important. Multi-lang
The armadillo is the only living mammal that obligatorily produces litters of identical twins: each female always produces exactly four genetically identical young per litter — monozygotic quadruplets — which develop from a single fertilized egg that divides into four embryos. This obligate polyembryony makes the armadillo a unique model organism for twin and natural cloning studies in mammals.
The armadillo has the lowest body temperature of any placental mammal — between 32 and 35°C, compared to the 36–37°C typical of most eutherians — a condition related to its low basal metabolic rate. This low internal temperature is also the reason the armadillo is susceptible to Mycobacterium leprae, a bacterium that cannot multiply in tissue with a temperature above 37°C.
The armadillo can remain completely submerged walking along riverbeds and creek bottoms for nearly 6 minutes thanks to its ability to store oxygen in the trachea and bronchi. This adaptation, combined with its alternative ability to inflate its digestive tract for flotation, allows it to cross virtually any aquatic obstacle, partly explaining its extraordinary colonizing success in North America since the 19th century.
Despite its armored appearance, the armadillo's carapace does not allow it to roll completely into a ball as armadillos of the genus Tolypeutes (three-banded armadillos) can. The carapace of Dasypus novemcinctus is rigid in the anterior and posterior shields and only partially flexible in the middle bands; its main escape strategy remains fleeing and rapid excavation rather than defensive rolling.