When do armadillos mate

Atansanov, ; Chapman and Feldhamer, ; Peppler and Stone, They have the largest range of any extant species of armadillo. Their range has slowly been expanding northward in the United States, and they are now found as far north as Missouri and even Illinois.

This shift northward is likely limited by the severity of cold, winter weather. Their ranges have also been shifting westward in the United States, and this is likely limited by their dependence on rainfall or other sources of water.

Chapman and Feldhamer, ; Macdonald, ; Van Deelen, et al. Increasing human populations and development of transportation routes are thought to help the range expansion of nine-banded armadillos. Roads and bridges help wild nine-banded armadillos to move across wide waterways and other natural obstacles that would had previously prevented their expansion. Human activities have also caused a decline in many natural predators of North American nine-banded armadillos, which also contributes to their expanding range.

Chapman and Feldhamer, ; Talmage, ; Taulman and Robbins, Nine-banded armadillos are primarily found in forest and scrub-brush areas in tropical and temperate regions.

They are also found in grasslands and savanna regions around woody areas, but they prefer forests over grasslands because they forage in forest litter for small invertebrates. They are not found in arid regions, and they thrive in riparian habitats or areas with plenty of water or at least 38 cm of rain annually.

Their preference for wet areas may be because of increased availability of food sources in wet areas and softer soil, which makes digging and burrowing easier. As long as sufficient food and water supplies are available, nine-banded armadillos are very adaptable to different habitats. They have been observed near swampy or marshy regions as well, but do not commonly inhabit them.

Temperature is also an important factor in choice of habitat. Dense populations tend to occur in areas of low elevation, often around sea-level. Although nine-banded armadillos do not often inhabit areas of dense human population, they are not limited by human presence. In fact, the northeastern expansion of their range may be related to human development. They appear to travel along man-made roads, bridges, railroads and other travel routes. Talmage, ; Taulman and Robbins, Within their habitat in forests, grasslands, and shrublands, nine-banded armadillos make their homes in underground burrows.

Burrows vary in size, but can be up to 5 m long and 2 m deep. Nine-banded armadillos may bring some grasses and leaves inside their burrow. They often try to hide the entrance by placing plant debris around it. A nine-banded armadillo may have up to 12 den sites, but the average is 4 or 5. A male and female may share these burrows during mating season, but usually a burrow is only shared by a female and her young or by young siblings. Macdonald, ; Stangle, During the summer breeding season, nine-banded armadillos are often seen pairing.

Nine-banded armadillos are typically solitary animals, so a male and female maintaining close proximity to one another is unusual. During pairing, the male remains within a few meters of, and occasionally interacts with, the female as the two forage. Other behaviors accompany the pairing, including dorsal touches, tail wagging, tail lifting by the female which exposes the genitalia , and sniffing and vigilance by the males, which allows them to maintain their proximity. McDonough, ; Stangle, It is thought that a male maintains this close proximity to the female in order to claim and protect her from other males.

In some cases, a male is aggressive toward other males to prevent them from breeding with the female he is paired with. Maintaining close proximity may also allow the male to determine when the female is receptive to breeding.

Females constantly appear to retreat from males, possibly attempting to prevent males from coming too close before she is ready to mate. Females give off secretions from their anal glands that may change in scent when they are ready to mate. Nine-banded armadillos are thought to be polygynous with respect to pairs one male pairs with multiple females , but pairing may not lead to mating. Loughry, et al. Most females ovulate once a year, usually in early summer June to July in the northern hemisphere, November to December in the southern hemisphere.

Mating occurs during this time of year, with the female positioned on her back. Females almost always give birth of four identical quadruplets. The quadruplets are often born in early spring, after about a 4 month gestation period.

Delayed implantation allows birthing to happen during the spring, when temperatures are much warmer and food is abundant. Young nine-banded armadillos are born in an advanced state of development, closely resembling adults but smaller in size.

The eyes open quickly, but their leathery skin does not harden into its characteristic armor for a few weeks. Young of both sexes may begin breeding as early as the summer following their birth, but they may not reach full sexual maturity until 2 years of age. Full development and maturity is attained by 3 or 4 years of age. Young nine-banded armadillos are typically born in spring but do not leave their burrows until late spring or early summer, after at least a few weeks.

When they emerge, they are ready to begin foraging with their mother. The mother may provide milk for up to 2 to 3 months before weaning.

After weaning the young may remain with their mother for a few additional months, but mothers to not provide significant care at this point. A young nine-banded armadillo may share a burrow and foraging areas with its siblings during its first summer and early fall.

Nine-banded armadillos are expected to live from 7 to 8 years to over 20 years in the wild. One nine-banded armadillo in captivity reached 23 years of age. The life of nine-banded armadillos may be limited by climate, predation, and disease.

Because they do not have much hair or body fat, nine-banded armadillos do not cope well with cold temperatures. Larger animals can better withstand colder temperatures. Droughts can also impact mortality of this species. Juveniles have a higher mortality rate than adults and in the wild are more likely to be killed by a predator than adults because they are weaker and have softer armor.

Disease, particularly leprosy, also contributes to mortality of nine-banded armadillo. An acute sense of smell helps them locate food, even if it's hiding 8 inches underground.

Armadillos dig up the earth with large, powerful claws and capture their prey with long, sticky tongues. They eat bugs, worms, and slugs that prefer soft ground. Soil texture is directly related to the number of armadillos in an area. The softer the soil, the more armadillos.

While foraging, the armadillo makes a grunting noise. Their sense of smell makes up for their poor eyesight. When not after food, they sleep in burrows, which, in the Highland Lakes, could be natural caves, cracks, and crevices of limestone outcroppings or dug out of the soil. Timid creatures, armadillos wear their primary defense mechanism on their backs, which, like a turtle, is connected to their skin.

The top side of the armadillo, including its head, is covered with a bony protective shell or carapace made up of bone covered in scales or scutes. Overall, these behaviors ramp up and intensify as the pair gets closer to mating, with the male touching the female more and becoming more focused on her genital area, McDonough said. To mate, the female lifts her tail, and the male mounts her from behind.

Interestingly, nine-banded armadillos have delayed implantation. In other words, depending on when the female mated, her eggs may not implant into her uterus for development for several months; this delay allows her to time the birth of her quadruplets with the coming of spring. In one unusual case, McDonough said, pregnant females were transported from the United States to England for leprosy studies. Original article on Live Science.

However, there are still some mating habits that are common to all armadillos. Almost all types of armadillos get involved in some type of a courtship ritual before they start to mate, but these pre-mating rituals vary between armadillo species. For the majority of armadillo species, regardless of where their whereabouts are, breeding season lasts from April to June.

During these months the female armadillos will mate with no more than two males and males will mate with no more than three females. The gestation period of an armadillo ranges from two months in large hairy armadillos to days in giant armadillos and nine-banded armadillos. Some types of armadillos can postpone the implantation of the embryo for up to two years, and thereby delay pregnancy.