Nine-Banded Armadillo

Part of Hall of North American Mammals.

NAM Nine Banded Armadillo Hero

April, by the Rio Grande, Southern Texas

Surrounding this mother armadillo is an unusual family group: identical quadruplets. All litters of this species derive from a single fertilized egg that divides into four. The same-sex pups arrive in the spring, and even as newborns look like miniature adults. Armadillo pups nurse for two to three months before switching to an adult diet. 

Map showing the range of the nine-banded armadillo in the United States and parts of Mexico.