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Nine-banded armadillos are solitary, largely nocturnal animals that come out to forage around dusk. They are extensive burrowers, with a single animal sometimes maintaining up to 12 burrows on its range. These burrows are roughly 20 cm (8 in) wide, 210 cm (7 ft) deep, and 760 cm (25 ft) long.
(The leprosy bacterium is difficult to culture and armadillos have a body temperature of 34 °C (93 °F), similar to human skin.) [26] Humans can acquire a leprosy infection from armadillos by handling them or consuming armadillo meat. [27] [28] Armadillos are a presumed vector and natural reservoir for the disease in Texas, Louisiana and Florida.
The shell covering its body is armored and the outer layer is made out of keratin, the same protein that builds human fingernails. They are typically a yellow or brownish color. They are among the smaller armadillos, with a head-and-body length of about 22 to 27 cm (8.7 to 10.6 in) and a weight between 1 and 1.6 kg (2.2 and 3.5 lb). [4]
Among the smallest of the long-nosed armadillos, individuals of the southern species measure about 30 cm (12 in) in head-body length, with a tail about 17 cm (6.7 in) long. With no discernible sexual dimorphism , both males and females weigh about 2 kg (4.4 lb).
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It is an alert animal; unlike other armadillos, it flees on sensing danger and bites if handled. [2] Primarily solitary, six-banded armadillos will congregate only to feed on carrions. [11] A 1983 study in eastern Brazil calculated the mean home range size as 93.3 hectares (0.360 sq mi). [14]
In Kansas City, they’ve become more common in recent years.
Armadillos are nocturnal, though they may move around during the day in cooler temperatures. A fascinating aside is that they always give birth to four identical babies, all of the same sex, says ...